Fulcrum's Revenge Remastered
by BillAtWork
Summary: This is the sequel to Real Relationship. It's not new. In fact, it's almost a decade old. Hopefully, some of the flaws in the original have been fixed.
1. Off the Grid

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _This was a sequel to The Real Relationship. The thing is, I'm not a writer. As a result those first efforts were… well, embarrassing. At the time this was originally written, between seasons one and two, we thought of Sarah as a reluctant spy. She really longed for home and family. Over time, we learned that she was a more complex character. I have always seen her (and still do) as lovesick… in love for the first time in her life and not knowing how to deal with it. At first, I was admittedly in far too big of a hurry to get her there. Sarah was never going to be the crybaby that she was in the original. She's in love, and that's new to her. She doesn't always know what to do about it. Sarah is the strong, silent type. She doesn't express herself well. She has things in her past that she isn't eager to re-live. So she's trying to balance that with her new fiancé who is exactly the opposite. He wants to know every detail._

 _One of the things that I always loved about Chuck and Sarah is that they were so different. They look at things differently. They both had serious flaws. One is strong where the other was weak. It's actually recognizing those differences that make them such an unbreakable couple. Together, they fill in each other's gaps and depend on each other. So instead of WT/WT, I try and put them together and let them work out those differences as a couple._

 _So hopefully, I can fix those flaws here. One other thing. When I first started writing, there were several teenaged girls, just a little younger than my daughter, in the community who were my friends. Call me old fashioned, but I was uncomfortable writing anything about sex knowing they would be reading. Now those girls are grown women. So I'm not nearly as uncomfortable. This will always be T. But it will be more descriptive._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Off The Grid**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were finally driving home. It had been a brutal day. So brutal that Chuck could barely keep the Nerd Herder on the road. He had never been more tired in his life. In the past seventy-two hours he had worked three shifts at the Buy More and completed two missions for the CIA. So when Beckman insisted that they spend their evening inside the bowels of Castle going over records seized in the Fulcrum bust… well even the workaholic Casey couldn't claim to be enthusiastic.

Of course, it wasn't all bad. That same seventy-two hour period saw him become engaged to a goddess, the woman of his dreams. Not to mention the twelve very physical and very long lovemaking sessions that came along for the ride.

Before now, Chuck wouldn't have thought that having sex twelve times in three days was even physically possible. It certainly had never happened to him before. It was more times than with Jill in a month… a very good month. Sarah was simply insatiable. She was also pretty aggressive and persuasive. It was a hard thing to complain about. Of course, they had a year's worth of unfulfilled sexual tension to work off."

Whatever the reason, Chuck had been running on adrenalin and it was about gone. Chuck could tell that Sarah was tired to. Her head was drooping as she fought to keep awake. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You really look tired."

Sarah was tired. That was unusual. She was used to operating on not much sleep. But Chuck looking after her, when he was just as tired, was sweet enough to get that certain tingle. "I am," she replied without opening her eyes. "I really hope we don't have any missions tonight."

"Me too," Chuck sighed. "I can't wait to get home and crawl into bed." One good thing had happened in his spy life. Beckman knowing about their engagement meant there would be no more sneaking around. They officially lived together. Of course it was only a hotel room. But pretty much all they had used so far was the bed anyway. Maybe he should clear up any possible confusion. "And go to sleep," he quickly added.

Sarah caught his meaning. She couldn't have agreed more. The love making had been magical. But tonight, sleep sounded much better. Maybe a little teasing would be in order. She opened her eyes as a small smile crept across her lips. "Not getting bored with me already, are you?" she pouted.

"A little," Chuck said. Of course he quickly backpedaled at her look. "Come on. I was just kidding."

That got them both laughing. "One thing that you need to learn about me," Sarah said. "You should never challenge me, especially about sex. We both have tomorrow off. Let's sleep until noon. Then I'll see how bored you really are."

Sleeping until noon sounded heavenly. When they finally arrived at Sarah's… well, now it was their room, they were too tired to even get ready for bed. They both just stripped down to their underwear and got directly between the sheets. Even though his body ached, Chuck had never felt more contented. Sarah felt like an angel in his arms. She had fallen asleep practically the second her head touched the pillow. Even though Chuck was exhausted, he took a moment to watch her rhythmic breathing. Of course, their lovemaking had been fantastic. But in a very real way this was even better. Chuck smiled to himself as he buried his face in Sarah's hair and quickly drifted off. At least they would get to sleep in tomorrow.

It really didn't work out that way. The phone didn't wake Chuck up but Sarah stirring to answer it did. He strained his eyes to try and focus on the clock. It flashed 8:06. "Come on," Chuck grumbled to himself in exasperation. "Who would be calling us now? Only two hours?" Then he noticed the sunlight streaming through the window. It was morning. They had been sleeping for fourteen hours.

Sarah was just as frustrated. She wasn't kidding about sleeping until noon. Beckman's face on her phone was perhaps the last thing she wanted to see. This had better be good. "Walker, secure," she answered, making no effort to keep the annoyance from her voice.

"Beckman, secure," Beckman replied. "Agent Walker, we have a very serious situation. It appears that Steve Jones has escaped. We're not sure how yet, but obviously it's an inside job. We fear that it's very possible that he is going to attempt to exact revenge on you and Agent Miller. You need to immediately prepare to go off the grid. Report to Casey's in twenty minutes. Do you understand?"

Suddenly Sarah was wide awake. At least Beckman had a good reason… for once. "Yes ma'am," she said.

"We'll have someone pick up your car," Beckman said briskly. "Put all of your personal stuff in the trunk."

"Yes ma'am," Sarah confirmed as she hung up the phone. "Chuck," she shouted. "Wake up."

Chuck sat up with a smile. "I'm awake," he said. "What's the matter?"

Sarah knew that this would freak him out. "I'll explain once we're in the car," she said breathlessly as she began throwing on last night's clothes. "Right now seconds count. We need to get out of here immediately. Get dressed."

Of course Chuck had heard that tone in Sarah's voice many times. It wasn't the time to question her.

While Chuck was putting on his clothes, Sarah went to her closet and retrieved two black duffel bags. "Are you ready," she asked.

Chuck didn't answer. He just nodded.

"Let's go," Sarah said. She was already headed out the door. Once they got outside, Sarah walked to the Porsche and opened the trunk. "Chuck," she said firmly. "No questions right now. I need your wallet, cell phone, and watch."

Sarah placed then in the trunk. Then she also placed her handbag and cell phone in the trunk and closed it. "Chuck," Sarah said. "You need to drive us to Casey's as soon as we can get there safely."

Once Chuck had the car on the road he turned to Sarah. "You're scaring me," he said. "What's going on?"

"That was Beckman," Sarah replied tersely. "Steve Jones escaped. They think he might be coming after Carina and me. Effective immediately, we're off the grid."

It was too much information to process so soon after waking up from such a deep sleep. "What does that mean?" he asked. "How would he know where you are?"

Sarah finally took a breath and realized that she was freaking him out. She forced the calm into her voice. "It just means that we're going to disappear for a few weeks," she said. "It's called going off the grid. A spy always has to be prepared to disappear in case they become compromised. We have lots of enemies. Steve Jones probably doesn't know where to find us. But we really don't know what he knows or where he gets his information from. Beckman said his escape was an inside job."

Chuck shook his head. "That doesn't sound good," he said. "If he can break out of a high security federal prison, who knows what he's capable of?"

In spite of the tense situation, Sarah was forced to smile at how perceptive he was. "Don't worry, sweetie," she said. "I've planned ahead. In those two bags, I've previously prepared new identities for both of us. Nobody knows any details… not even Beckman or Casey. That way, nobody can track us or give away our location. Casey and Carina have similar identities prepared that I'm not aware of. I have everything that we're going to need to be two brand new people. Even if Fulcrum has infiltrated the agency grid, they won't be able to find us. That's called being off the grid."

Chuck was now grinning. "It sounds like a vacation," he said. "Who are we going to be?"

"More like a honeymoon," Sarah teased. She fished a wallet out of one of the bags and handed it to him. "You're now Chuck Anderson. Inside you'll find a driver's license, credit cards, and all of the usual stuff. I'm Sarah Anderson. We've been married for two years."

"Two years?" Chuck asked. "This must be a second honeymoon. I'll bet we had a hell of a first one."

That got them both laughing. "That's what I hear," Sarah said. "We have an amazing marriage. It's been two years and we still can't keep our hands off each other."

"No kids?" Chuck teased. "I know that Sarah Anderson really wants a daughter."

Sarah punched him playfully in the arm. "Not yet," she said. "I think that Chuck Anderson might have some slow swimmers."

Chuck took full note of her teasing. "That's too bad for him," he said. "I guess he'll have to make up in quantity what he lacks in quality."

x-x-x-x-x

When they got to Casey's, Carina was standing there. Sarah wondered why she was still hanging around. Had she just gotten there? Or had she always been there? On second thought, Sarah found that she really didn't want to know.

If the situation was tense, you couldn't tell it by the spies. "Hi," Carina said with a grin as they entered the room. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Carina White."

Sarah matched her friend's grin. "Chuck and Sarah Anderson," she replied. "It's good to meet you."

"My new name is John Black," Casey growled.

That got Chuck laughing. "Wait a minute," he said. "You mean that you and Carina are Black and White? It's not Oil and Vinegar… but it might as well be."

Of course Casey took Chuck's teasing in stride like always. "Very funny, moron," he growled as he shook his head. "Who knew?"

Sarah turned to Chuck and grabbed his hand. "You have a couple of minutes to go next door and pack a quick bag. Then we'll have to leave."

Chuck looked at her. They had been so busy with missions… oh, and sex, that they hadn't told Ellie about their engagement yet. "Wait a minute," he said. "How long are we going to be gone? What should I tell Ellie?"

Sarah forced her smile. This wasn't something that she was looking forward to. But it had to be done. "Would it be okay if I talked to Ellie while you pack?" she asked. "I've wanted to talk to her for a while and this is as good a chance as any."

Chuck tried to read the expression on her face. He just couldn't. "What are you going to tell her?" he asked.

"Easy," Sarah explained. "I'm going to tell her the truth. I'm going to tell her that we're eloping." She couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on his face.

"Trust me."

x-x-x-x-x

Ellie was just finishing up breakfast when they walked in. Her eyes brightened as she saw them. "Chuck, Sarah," she said. "It's been days since I've see you. Do you want some breakfast?"

"No, thanks," Sarah said. "We can't stay. We just came so Chuck could get some clothes. I would like to talk to you for a minute if that's okay. Alone?"

Chuck would have loved to stay and see the look on Ellie's face when Sarah told her the news. But they did have to hurry. "I'll be in my room," he said.

Ellie turned to Sarah. "We never get a chance to girl talk," she said. "What do you want to talk about?

Sarah stood and considered the question. It was odd. Ellie wouldn't hurt a fly. She was going out of her way to be friendly, like she always did. Yet Sarah always felt uncomfortable. She was much better at talking to men. She knew how to control the conversation with a man. The pouting look. The shy smile. The extra button undone. None of those tactics worked with Ellie. "Well, Ellie," Sarah started hesitantly. "I'm sure that you've noticed by Chuck not being here much lately that we're kicked up our relationship a notch."

Ellie grinned. It looked like they might be starting to get serious. It was about time. "I have," she said. "I think that's just great."

Finally Sarah couldn't keep it in any longer. "Ellie, I'm really nervous," she admitted.

Ellie was genuinely surprised. "Why would you be nervous?" she asked. "Sarah, we're friends. You know that you can say anything to me?"

The truth was that they weren't friends. Ellie tried her best. It was something that simply had to be fixed. But she couldn't say that. "I know," Sarah said. "I'm nervous anyway. Maybe it's better if I just say it."

Now Ellie was curious. She nodded with a smile.

Sarah took a deep, cleansing breath. "Here's the deal," she began. "I know that you're much more than just Chuck's sister. I get that. You're more like his mother, father, and sister all rolled up into one. You're the only family either of us has and I know that he loves you more than anything. I just wanted to tell you what a fine job you've done raising Chuck. He is the most honest, genuine, nicest man I could ever imagine. It's taken me a long time to believe that he wasn't too good to be true. I never believed that I could feel what I'm feeling. But now that I do believe it, I never want to be apart."

Ellie had been waiting to hear something like this ever since the day they met. Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded for Sarah to continue.

"I wanted to come here today," Sarah continued. "I wanted to look you in the eye and make sure you understand how much I love Chuck. How much I treasure him. That I understand what it is that I'm asking of you and that I'll never, ever cause him any pain. I guess what I'm asking for is your blessing to marry Chuck."

Now Ellie was sobbing. She couldn't find words for a long moment, so she threw her arms around Sarah and continued to sob. "I'm so happy that Chuck found you," she finally said. "I've been so worried about him. Ever since what happened at Stanford, he just seemed lost… like he couldn't find a way to be happy. Now he truly is. I've never been happier in my life." She pulled back to look at Sarah. "I don't think I was this happy when Devon proposed to me." She paused for a moment. "Let's keep that part between ourselves. Okay?"

That got them both laughing. "Of course," Sarah said. "I do have some bad news though."

Ellie paused for a moment, them nodded for Sarah to continue.

Sarah could see the fear in her face. "Don't worry," she said quickly. "We're not moving away. I wouldn't do that to you. It's just now that we've made this decision, we don't want to wait… not for another day. We also don't want to take any of the thunder away from your wedding. So we've decided to elope… today. Can you please forgive me for having to miss Chuck getting married? I promise that we'll do something formal when we get back and after your wedding."

Ellie breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she said. "Of course, I'm not happy about missing it, but I do understand. How long will you be gone?"

Ellie wasn't the only one to breathe a relieved sigh. That could have gone badly. "At least a couple of weeks," Sarah said. "Then we'll play it by ear. Ellie, I'm feeling pretty guilty. I strung him along for far too long. I want to spend some time with Chuck making up for the past six months of hell I've put him through."

Ellie nodded. "What about your jobs?" she asked.

Sarah wanted so badly to tell Ellie the truth. She just couldn't. It would be stupid. It would make everyone less safe. But she couldn't let Ellie think that her brother wasn't a hero. "We're both quitting," Sarah settled for. "Ellie, we both know that Chuck is not an eleven dollar an hours computer technician. He's going back to school to finish his degree."

That was too good to be true. "But how will you live?" Ellie asked. "Do you need some help?"

It was an incredibly generous offer. Ellie and Devon were both doctors. But they also had a mountain of student loans to pay off. "Actually," Sarah said. "I've got that part taken care of. Do you really think a fast food clerk drives a Porsche? I have more than enough money to last us for a long time."

Of course, Ellie always knew there was more to Sarah than she was telling. It was more than just the car. "Wow," she said. "Does Chuck know?"

Sarah shook her head with a laugh. "I never told him because I didn't want it to make him feel awkward," she explained. "I don't think he has a clue. He may be brilliant but he sure can be thick sometimes."

That got them both giggling. "Thick as a brick," Ellie agreed.

"There's one other thing," Sarah said. "I have this situation. I have an ex from D.C. He was very possessive and didn't take the breakup very well. That was the main reason I moved here. I needed to get away from him. He's hired a private investigator to try and find me. If anyone comes around asking about me, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell them anything. We're also not taking our cell phones. We'll try and get a hold of you sometime and let you know that we're okay."

"Of course", Ellie replied. "I hate possessive men. And don't worry about calling me. You're going to be on your honeymoon."

"Thanks," replied Sarah. "I'm going to wait outside so you can say goodbye to Chuck. Thanks so much for understanding."

As Sarah opened the door, Ellie called to her. "Sarah?"

Sarah didn't answer. She just stopped and listened.

"When you get back, let's go shopping and maybe to a club for a few drinks," Ellie said softly. "I mean, we're sisters now."

Yesterday, Sarah couldn't think of many things more terrifying than having a girl's night out with Ellie. Now?

"You'll never know how much I'm looking forward to that."

x-x-x-x-x

After about five minutes Chuck appeared outside with a bag in his hard. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"How is she?" Sarah asked.

"Are you kidding?" Chuck teased. "If I was allowed to get jealous, I think now might be a good time. I think she might want to marry you herself. What did you tell her anyway?"

Sarah knew that he was teasing about being allowed to get jealous. She had grown tired of correcting him. So she just smiled. "I made up a story about an ex boyfriend trying to find me," she said. "That way if anyone comes checking up on me, she'll know not to say anything. Other than that, I just told her the truth."

Carina and Casey were already in Casey's car waiting for them. Chuck put his bag in the trunk and climbed in the back seat next to Sarah.

"Where to boss?" Casey asked.

Sarah wasn't sure who he was talking to. Surely Casey didn't consider her the boss. "Well we are supposed to be eloping," she said. "How about Vegas?"

"Sounds good to me," Casey answered. "I can get in a little blackjack." He started to drive.

"You know?" Carina asked. "We're off the grid and the risk here is really fairly low." She slid over to be next to Casey and put her head on his shoulder. "Obviously, we need to be alert," she continued. "But why don't we try and have some fun? Lord knows we could use the break."

Agent Walker wouldn't ever think about having fun on a mission. It wasn't done. It's how you get killed. But even Agent Walker had to admit, Carina had a good point. "Sounds good to me," she said as she snuggled into Chuck.

"Carina," Chuck said. "I'm afraid to know what your idea of fun is… especially in Vegas."

That got them all laughing. Unfortunately, they failed to notice the grey Camry following them about a quarter mile behind.

In the car a man was talking on a cell phone. "Yes, sir. Smith's intel was right. Miller led us right to her. It's definitely Agent Walker."

"Yes, sir. There's more good news. They're both in the same car."

"Yes, sir. They're with two men. From the looks of things they appear to be boyfriends."

"No, sir. Don't worry. I won't lose them."


	2. Only Bet What You're Willing to Lose

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _This was a sequel to The Real Relationship._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Only Bet What You're Willing to Lose**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck's head was whirling with emotions sitting in the back seat of Casey's car as it traveled down I-15 towards Las Vegas. Everything had happened much too fast this morning for him to process. He fully understood that this was a very serious situation. He knew Beckman well enough to know that she would never take her best team out of commission, possibly for weeks, without there being a major risk. A Fulcrum Elder was out there someplace. He knew Sarah by sight, knew her name and history, and had every reason to want revenge. They had won a major victory the other night… but who knew what resources he could still command? If she fell into his hands… that's as far as he wanted to think about it.

On the other hand, he was having a good time. This was the vacation they so desperately needed. He was free from having to worry about the Buy More or any responsibilities for a couple of weeks. The Vegas Strip was one of his favorite places, the party capital of the world. Even the professional spies agreed that it was the perfect place to hide. Everyone was a stranger when on vacation.

This morning had been a wild blur. Probably the biggest thing was Sarah talking to Ellie. It was huge. That would be something that would be very hard for her. It would have never happened just a few days ago. She was really trying. He made a mental note to tell her how proud he was first chance he got. Of course, Sarah asking for permission to marry him was one of those gender reversal things that seemed to define their relationship. She probably didn't even realize it.

Regardless, Ellie knowing made it official. It was the first time this didn't seem like just a good dream. This was real. He was going to marry this blonde goddess… maybe very soon. Better yet, said blonde goddess felt like an angel as she snuggled into his shoulder. Carina had already said that the risk was low. It seemed likely that if Fulcrum was going to attack, it would have already happened. If the CIA didn't even know where they were going, how could Fulcrum find them? Carina probably didn't know the entire situation, but even Sarah and Casey seemed very relaxed. That was the kicker. Sarah was the one who was most tense in these situations. If she was okay, maybe it was time to send Fulcrum a thankyou card and just enjoy this windfall.

About half way to Las Vegas they stopped for gas. Sarah followed Carina into the ladies room. "Carina?" Sarah asked. "What's up with you and Casey?"

Of course, Chuck wasn't the only one who could play dumb. "What do you mean?" Carina asked.

Sarah put her hands on her hips in mock anger. "Give me a break," she said. "You know damn well what I mean. Why have you been sticking around these past few days? You've had your head on his shoulder for two hours now. You're famous as a world class man eater. You're not messing with his head, are you? You do realize that he finds you incredibly sexy?"

"I'm sorry," Carina said sarcastically. "I didn't realize you were his mother. I'll confess, mom. My intentions aren't all that honorable. John's a big boy. He can take care of himself. I promise not to break his heart. What is this really? Are you jealous?"

Carina had just dropped the big one. "Eww," Sarah protested. "I'm just looking out for my partner. He would be very susceptible to the man eater. So I hope you know what you're doing. I can't afford to have a love sick partner. He already has one."

Of course, once they got back in the car, her warnings made zero difference. If anything Carina was snuggling even closer to Casey than before. Sarah didn't want to know what her hand, that had clearly found its way into his lap, was doing. Hopefully, he wouldn't wreck the car. But that was Carina. Why fight it and allow her childishness to ruin this good mood? And Carina wasn't the only one with a hand. Chuck jumped a little when he realized that the hand running up his thigh wasn't stopping… but he also knew that resistance when Sarah was making a point was futile. And what she was doing could never be called torture. Sarah just flashed him a sly look, buried her head even deeper into Chuck's neck, and let out a contented sigh.

Just as they were crossing the Nevada state line, Carina picked her head up from Casey's shoulder. "Sarah?" she asked. "What's your favorite thing to do in Las Vegas?"

Sarah paused to consider the question. She had driven through here on assignments a couple of times. It was a routine place for long term seduction missions. She had heard all of the wild stories. The marks always wanted their half-dressed eye candy on their arm in the casino… and then on their back in the hotel. But she had never been on that kind of assignment. This was one time where Chuck was going to get an honest first from her. The truth was, she was looking forward to it. "I've never been to Las Vegas before," she answered. "Not really."

Chuck clearly wasn't expecting that answer. "What?" he asked with a surprised look. "You mean that Bryce never took you here? Vegas is one of his favorite places. He used to drag me here all the time."

The sudden icy look on Sarah's face told Chuck that he had just made a serious mistake.

Indeed, Carina jerked her head towards Chuck. "How do you know Bryce?" she asked.

Sarah took her hand away. She now had to clean this up… nothing off-color intended. She broke their embrace and sat up. "Carina," she said. "Chuck knows Bryce from before he became an agent. They were old college friends. That's all I can say."

Carina didn't press it. "Okay," she said and returned her head to Casey's shoulder.

Chuck knew that she was pissed. Her body language said that very plainly. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Sorry," he said. "Please don't cut me off".

Sarah was annoyed, no sense in denying that. Carina knew better than to ask, but his mistake definitely had started her thinking. He simply had to start being more careful about these things. But one thing was for sure. He wasn't getting cut off. In fact she was counting the minutes before they were in their room and she could start ripping his clothes off. Maybe she could even parlay his guilt into performing her favorite thing a time or two. So she smiled at him and shook her head slightly to reassure him that everything was okay.

Chuck was relieved. He was expecting her to take his head off. He was so relieved that he decided to turn the tables. "Well maybe I'll cut you off," he teased.

Sarah couldn't keep in the wet laugh. Her hand had just been in his lap. Unless he was hiding some hard object in his pants, he was plainly counting those same minutes. She started giggling at the silliness.

That laughing got Carina's attention. She turned quickly to Sarah. "What's so funny?" she asked.

Sarah was still giggling. "Chuck thinks that he is going to cut me off," she said.

That got Chuck's attention. Her tone struck a nerve. "What's so funny about that?" he asked.

Sarah was still giggling. "Please," she said, intentionally drawing out the single word to about twenty syllables. "There is no way you could cut me off. I could seduce you anytime I wanted to. It was true that first day in the Buy More, and it's just as true today."

Chuck did a double take at her so overtly making fun of him. "A little too full of yourself aren't you?" he asked. "I mean, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and everything. I am head over heals in love with you. But I think I could resist you for a few days if I had to."

Sarah just shook her head and continued giggling. "You're so cute," she said. "You really believe that, don't you? You couldn't last one day. I could have you begging me in a couple of hours. You do realize I'm a trained seductress?"

Now Chuck was on the edge of being annoyed. "Come on," he whined. "So is Carina and I resisted her. What's the difference? I think that you might be underestimating me a little."

Sarah didn't back down an inch. "We are headed to Vegas," she said mischievously. "Wanna make a little bet?"

The last thing that Chuck wanted was to bet on something like that. But he had just been challenged. "What did you have in mind?" he asked.

Sarah was still laughing. "Here's the deal," she said. "It's about noon. I'll seduce you before eight tonight. I can't touch you uninvited below the waist for that time but everything else is fair game. If you have any kind of orgasm within those eight hours, I win. If you can resist me for that time, you win."

Chuck considered her proposal. Her hand already had him on fire. He wasn't really crazy about waiting for eight minutes, much less eight hours. But she had him backed into a corner. He really couldn't back down now. "What do I win?" he asked.

Sarah finally stopped laughing. "Two things,' she said. "I'll buy you that X-box game you've been slobbering over. And for one full day, we'll put our engagement on hold. I'll show you how an agent keeps a mark happy. When we're in public, I'll get half-dressed and hang on your arm all night with a doe eyed look on my face. When we get back to the room, it will be all about you in every detail. I know you're too shy to ask for things, so I'll even take charge and give you some things you'd never ask for."

"I thought that you didn't have sex on missions," Chuck protested. "What are the rules?"

"I don't," Sarah answered. "You'll be the first. You should be happy. You aren't getting many firsts from me, and even fewer from Agent Walker. There aren't any rules. Don't worry about it. You're not going to win anyway."

Chuck had about enough of being made fun of. "And what if you win?" he asked.

"Similar deal," Sarah said. "When I win, your X-box gets donated to charity. The night will be all about me in every detail. I expect your full and enthusiastic participation. Still no rules. I think you already know one thing that I'm going to demand, pretty much all night. But there are also some other things I'm considering that will be new. Fair warning. I'm really looking forward to this."

"Deal," Chuck said.

Sarah took the smile from her face and got serious. "Let's put something on the table," she said. "I've never treated you like a mark before… even during those first few days when technically you were one. I'm happy now that I never did. You and I are in a good place right now. It took us a long time and a lot of pain to get here. I don't want to do anything to mess that up. This isn't worth that. It's only a game. But it's also now a mission. I think you know me well enough to know what that means. Until it's over, you're not my fiancé. You're my mark. I actually think, now that we're together, it will do you some good to experience being a mark for once. You always envied them. You need to understand how silly that is. When you experience it once, you'll know the difference between hot sex and making love. I think you'll agree with me that we're the lucky ones. Be warned. As a trained agent, a graduate of Seduction School, I'm going to find your weakness, and then I'm going to exploit it. I'll do anything, fair or unfair, to complete my assignment. And when I win, I'm going to collect my winnings in full. Please don't do this if it's going to mess you up… even a little bit. That's the last thing I would want."

Chuck was now officially annoyed. Her confidence was irritating. Like he couldn't resist her for eight hours. "Agreed," Chuck said. "I've always wanted to know about seduction missions. I've also something to put on the table. I may not be quite as shy about wild sex as you're being led to believe. After I win, don't be surprised if I give Agent Walker some tasks she might not anticipate. I would expect the same enthusiasm from you. Don't agree if you're not willing to smile and pay off."

That got Sarah grinning again. Like Chuck would ever demand wild things from her in bed. It might be exciting if he would sometime. The next time they made one of these bets, she'd plan on losing on purpose… just to see what he'd ask for… but not this time. Hot wild sex was okay. Making love was life changing. Hot wild sex with someone you loved? Wow. "Take your best shot," she said. "I love this bet. I win either way. Like I said, the rules are, there aren't any rules."

The front seat occupants were enjoying this conversation very much. "I think I might want a piece of that action," Casey called over his shoulder. "My boy here can hold out for eight hours as long as he knows that it's coming. I mean, he resisted Carina."

Carina shook her head. "No way," she said with a grin. "First, he isn't in love with me. And second, he was seriously thinking about it. He'll never see her coming."

"I have faith in my boy," Casey insisted.

Of course Casey was driving. So he couldn't see that Sarah was already pulling her bra out thru the arm of her blouse. With that extra button popped, she was showing some major cleavage. It really didn't matter all that much because her blouse hid very little of her shape anyway.

Sarah was grinning from ear to ear. "I'd like you to meet my two secret weapons," she said as she pressed her chest against his arm. "Actually the high beams are a first for me on an assignment. Too bad, being aroused like I am now would have really helped me get through some of them. Wanna touch them? Most marks do. It's pretty much considered a right."

Chuck shook his head. He couldn't get over the transformation. Of course he had seen her breasts up close and personal many times. Just a few hours ago, they were in bed together naked. She currently wasn't close to being naked. Yet he was looking at, by far, the sexiest sight of his life. It suddenly hit him. Sarah was always a beautiful woman. But when she wanted to, she could turn into a molten sex goddess. This was going to be a long eight hours. But he'd already had his fill of being underestimated. He was a normal male. He had his fair share of unfulfilled fantasies. She was asking for it. When he won, he was going to surprise her… and fulfill some.

Sarah's grin didn't fade a bit. "Maybe later," she taunted. "Wait until we're alone in our hotel room necking. My money says you'll waste little time making it to second base. I've never shared a room with a mark before. That might get interesting. Agent Walker has some nice things that she'd like to show you."

Yup, this was going to be a very long eight hours.

Carina couldn't help but laugh at the look on Chuck's face. She turned back to Casey. "Okay," she said. "Here's what I propose. You've got Chuck and I've got Walker. We make the same bet… minus the stupid video games."

"Carina," Casey said with a grin as the blush crept into his neck.

"You have a bet."

x-x-x-x-x

There was a thing about Vegas. In the desert you could see the skyline of the hotels on the strip before you were at all close. After staring at them for an hour, actually getting there was fairly anticlimactic. Naturally, traffic on the strip was wall to wall. When they were stopped at a traffic light, Casey looked to the back seat. "You're the Vegas expert," he said. "Where should we stay?"

Chuck considered the question. He had only been here as a poor college student and even poorer Buy More worker. The hotels on the strip were amazing palaces. On the rare occasions that they won enough so that Jill allowed them to spend the night, it was always at one of the much cheaper places far off the strip. But he couldn't picture Sarah ever staying at one of those dives. He also discovered that he really didn't know much about her financial situation. CIA agents assuredly made more money than Buy More employees. But how much more? He had really never seen her spend any. "That depends," he said. "How much money do we have?"

Sarah laughed. She wasn't ready to have the discussion about her trust fund. She wanted to wait until they were actually married before breaking the news to him that they were rich. When she made these identities, she was going for a well to do couple. This was technically a mission. She'd get reimbursed for anything they spent to protect their cover anyway. "Do you really think that Agent Walker would be assigned to seduce a mark who wasn't loaded?" she teased. "She's been saving her mission cherry for just this opportunity. Chuck Anderson is very rich. In your wallet you have a debit card for walking around money. It has a balance of over a hundred grand. The PIN is Ellie's birthday. You also have a couple of credit cards with very liberal spending limits. Don't worry about money. Wine and dine your new blonde conquest in the manner she's accustomed to. That's what marks always do. They always think that flashing around big money is the way to get the blonde's panties around her ankles. Spoiler alert. It will definitely work for you."

Chuck shook his head. She wasn't going to let this go. He understood that she wasn't kidding at all. Fortunately, he only had about seven hours to go and this would be over. So he might as well play his part. "Let's go to the Bellagio," he said. "I've never been able to afford it but it is crazy nice. It's the perfect place for the classy Agent Walker to give up her mission cherry… among other things… after I win. They probably don't have stripper poles… but we'll make do."

That got them all laughing. Since there was no objection, Casey didn't hesitate. The valet took the car and left them standing in front of the hotel. "One problem," Chuck said. "These fancy places require a reservation. We don't have one. I highly doubt that there are going to be any rooms available."

Sarah grinned at him. "You're so cute," she said. "Would you like to make another bet? I think that Carina and I have this one covered."

Chuck shook his head. "I'm probably not going to survive winning this first one," he said.

Sarah was still grinning. "We'll see," she said. "Why don't you and Casey wait in the casino for a few minutes? We'll come and find you once we've checked in."

It sounded like a reasonable plan. Chuck allowed Casey to lead him into the casino. He found a couple of slot machines that had a strategic view of the lobby and sat down. Casey turned to Chuck with a smile. "I want you to be prepared," Casey said. "She's not kidding a bit. She's going to throw everything she has at you tonight. I'm talking lingerie, erotic stories, who knows what else? You've challenged her. And you know what she's like when she is challenged?"

Chuck laughed. "No problem," he said. "I mean it's only six more hours. I wanted her for six months without any luck. I think I can handle six hours."

"Don't underestimate her," Casey warned. "I know Agent Walker a lot better than you do. She has tricks up her sleeve. She wouldn't have pressed this hard without a plan that she thinks will work. I am counting on you. I really, really want to win that bet."

Just then the girls walked up. "Any luck?" Chuck asked.

Sarah turned her grin towards him and extended her hand. "Here's your room key," she said.

That got them all laughing. "Do I want to know how you got this?" Chuck asked playfully.

"It was really all your doing," Carina explained. "Without her bra, once Agent Walker pointed her high beams at him, it was over. He fell all over himself finding us rooms. I have to learn how to do that on demand. It's an amazing weapon."

Sarah was still laughing. "Not only rooms," she bragged. "Suites. Carina's right. You turning on my high beams made all the difference. I should have taken you on all my assignments." Finally she stopped laughing. "Why don't we go up and get settled? In a few minutes you and Casey can come back down and play a little blackjack. I think that Carina and I want to lie down for a few minutes so I'll be rested."

"Then maybe I can win my bet before we all go to dinner together?"

x-x-x-x-x


	3. The Weakness

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **The Weakness**

x-x-x-x-x

When Casey and Carina entered their room, their bags were already sitting there waiting for them. Sarah's high-beams had done some magic. This suite was even nicer than the one she shared with that traitor. Maybe she was being a little presumptuous that they would share. She had spent a couple of nights at his place. And he wasn't exactly objecting. After inspecting the view of the strip out the window, she stepped up to him. "Sarah yelled at me on the way here," she said.

That didn't seem all that unusual to Casey. They were plainly close friends, but they did yell at each other a lot. "What about this time?" he asked.

Carina started laughing. "She's worried that I might be messing with your head," she said. "She saw us in the car and she is afraid you might be falling in love with me. Are you falling in love with me, John?"

That got Casey laughing as well. "Love?" he asked derisively. "What is with her lately? Is the sex with Bartowski really that good that it's caused her to lose her mind? First off, I don't even know what love is. Second, we see each other about three times a year. Third, you scare the hell out of me. It wouldn't be much of a love affair, would it?"

That got them laughing even harder. "No," Carina agreed. "Just for the record… whatever this is, I like it. I'm not sure what love is either… and I have no burning desire to find out. I agree three times a year isn't going to cut it. Finally, you're very wise to always be afraid."

"You and I are both married to the job," Casey said. "That's the life we choose a long time ago. Let's just enjoy what we do have and not try and label it. Maybe you should talk some sense into your friend. She's out of control."

Carina was still grinning. "I could talk until I'm blue in the face," she said. "It wouldn't do a bit of good. I'm not even sure that I'd want to. I've known that girl for ten years. This is the first time I've ever seen her truly happy. Whatever he's doing, it's working. She's a different person."

"Spies shouldn't be in love," Casey protested. "Being happy isn't in the job description. Is she going to be effective?"

Carina looked at him for a long moment. "I'm not asking about your mission," she said. "I don't want to know. It's pretty obvious that there is more here than meets the eye. You're probably right. There are spy things where she might not be as effective as she was. We're going to have to protect her. But if her mission is to protect Chuck, this is a good thing. She's completely devoted to him. If anyone tried to mess with him, they'd find themselves facing a very pissed off mama lioness. The ambulance would have to use a sponge to get them to the morgue. It's probably a foolish idea to try and get in the way of that. So, I guess that only leaves being happy for them."

"I guess," Casey agreed with a sigh. "They are a little disgusting."

That got them laughing again. "They're very disgusting," Carina agreed. "Now that we have that settled, you wouldn't mind if we messed with Sarah's head a little, would you?"

That got Casey laughing. Messing with Sarah's head also meant messing with Chuck's head. That was always fun. "I'm always up for that," he replied.

"As long as I don't wind up handcuffed to a bed."

x-x-x-x-x

Of course, Chuck and Sarah's room was just as nice. After being trapped in Sarah's relatively small hotel room for the past two weeks, this suite seemed like a palace. Their bags were also waiting for them. Chuck did a double take. The second they stepped into the room, Sarah's body language had changed, like someone had flipped a switch. "Are you upset about something?" Chuck asked. It was a stupid question. Chuck could tell that Sarah was upset.

Sarah just glared at him for a long moment. "Come on Chuck," she replied angrily. "You know exactly what's wrong."

Chuck was genuinely stunned. In the car she was giddy, bordering on silly, teasing him. If anything, he expected some massive seduction action. He was surprised that she wasn't in the process of getting naked right about now in some erotic way. If this was her attempt at seduction, it was the most dysfunctional in history. "I really don't," he said. "I'd appreciate it if you told me."

Sarah shook her head in frustration. "That even makes it worse," she said. "Chuck, how many times do I have to tell you this? You have to be more careful with our cover. You almost blew it with Carina in the car today. Someday your carelessness is going to get us killed. Do you want that?"

Now Chuck was really confused. "Sarah," he replied sadly. "I'm really sorry about slipping up in the car today. I guess I didn't see Carina as a threat. I sort of let my guard down with her. You didn't seem that upset in the car."

Suddenly Sarah was in his face. "That's because I'm a professional," she snapped. "I don't let my feelings show in public. Think about it for a second. Getting upset in the car would have told Carina even more than you foolishly did. She would have racked her brain trying to figure out the relationship between you and Bryce. Who knows where that would have led? So I had to throw her off the track with all of that stupid seduction banter. And, Chuck, you need to think about something. Being sorry is nice but we're not talking about something trivial here. If your screw up got me or Casey killed, how sorry would you be then?"

Chuck had seen Sarah pissed before… but nothing like this… and certainly not since they were together. The steam was rolling off her brow. "I know," he said. "You're right. I need to try harder. I hate it when you're mad at me. Can we please make up?"

Sarah shook her head firmly. "You have a lot to learn about what makes me tick," she growled. "First you almost blow our cover. Then you humiliate me by saying that you could resist me seducing you. Do you know what that makes me look like to Carina?"

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I was just joking. I thought you were too."

Sarah shook her head again. "I really don't want to talk to you right now," she said. "In fact, I don't even want to look at you. You'd better go down with Casey and play some Blackjack. He can deal with you for a change."

Chuck looked at her closely. She was really pissed. "I don't want to leave when you're mad at me," he pleaded. "Everything you said is right. I'm sorry. Can't we make up?"

Sarah took a moment to gather her composure. "Chuck," she said. "This is our first real fight as a couple, so I'm going to give you a little advice. When I'm pissed like this, the smart thing is to disappear and let me cool off for a while. Go down with Casey and come back in a couple of hours."

"Maybe we can talk then."

x-x-x-x-x

Once they were in the casino, Chuck found one of the many ATM's that were spread liberally throughout and tried his debit card. Sure enough, the machine gladly spit out five crisp one hundred dollar bills. They found several twenty-five dollar blackjack tables but all of the seats were taken. So they decided to have a drink at the bar until a couple of seats opened up.

"What are you drinking?" Casey asked.

Chuck considered the question. Bryce had taught him lots of things, but most valuable was the magic of the Mai Tai. They went down like fruit punch, and after about four, Jill became an entirely different person. Normally it was hard to get her to unbutton a single button until the lights were out. But after some magic Mai Tai's she willingly danced around the fully lit room shedding clothes like a snake sheds its skin. And once she got to bed, she was eager to do things that Chuck wouldn't have even dared to ask her for when she was sober. It was one of the main reasons he loved coming here so much. It was a little odd with Bryce usually being in the other bed… pretending to be sleeping… but beggars can't be choosers.

Hopefully, Bryce was just guessing that Mai Tai's would affect Jill that way… but Chuck was honestly starting to rethink that. The magic question was… would it work on Sarah? It would be hard to tell. She loved to dance around the lit room shedding clothes before she even had a drink. There already wasn't much in bed that she was reluctant to do. Maybe after they made up, it would be worth a test. "There's only one thing to drink in Vegas," he answered. "That's a Mai Tai. Bryce taught me that."

Casey scrunched up his face. "Well he didn't teach me," he said. "You might as well drink lemonade. I'll stick with my Scotch."

At least Casey was in a good mood. Chuck waited until they had their drinks. "Casey," he started softly. "Can I ask you a question about spies?"

Casey was waiting for that question. Walker probably had him mighty confused with all of that seduction talk in the car. It was a little surprising that she was letting him out of the room. She was probably planning the full court press later. "As long as it's not classified," he joked.

"Why do agents have such problems with relationships?" Chuck asked.

That really wasn't the question Casey was expecting. "It's pretty simple," he said as he took another pull of his drink. "Agents are taught to eliminate any weakness. If you have a weakness, your enemy will use it against you. And loving someone is a weakness."

"I don't understand," Chuck said.

That got Casey laughing. "No kidding?" he asked sarcastically. "Okay, here's an example. Let's say some bad guy has captured you and he wants information to help him get to Walker. You'd resist, right?"

"Of course," Chuck answered.

"He could torture you and he'd probably eventually break you but you'd fight him as long as you could," Casey continued.

Chuck nodded.

Casey leaned forward and smiled. "Now let's say he has Ellie in front of you and starts threatening her," he said. "You'd be a lot more willing to tell him what he wants to know, wouldn't you?"

"Of course," Chuck said.

"That's exactly how it is with Walker," Casey replied. "You just became her weakness. If someone could get to you, Walker would stop thinking like an agent to protect you. That's why agents never talk about their past. They never give out details like their birthday. Sometime a bad person might use that information to find someone that you love and use it against you."

"But I would never tell anyone Sarah's secrets," Chuck protested.

Casey got quiet. "Trust me," he sighed. "I hope that you never find this out on your own. But they can get anyone to talk eventually. I've been trained and I could hold out for a little longer than you could. But eventually I'd break. Anyone would. No one could withstand the pain and the fear that they can put you through for very long. And that's key. I know that you want to know a lot of things about Walker. It would probably make you feel closer to her. But everything that she tells you risks being found out by her enemy and used against her. Is it worth that risk for you to feel a little closer? You can't give up information that you don't know."

Chuck didn't answer. He just nodded.

"Good answer," Casey said. "Hey, two seats just opened up at that table."

"Let's play some blackjack."

x-x-x-x-x

Outside of the hotel, the man in the grey Camry was talking on his cell phone.

"Yes, sir, they are in Las Vegas. They are checked in at the Bellagio."

"Yes, sir, it's a very nice place."

"Yes, sir, I already have the tracking device planted on their car. We'll know right away if they move. From the looks of things, they're here for a while."

"Yes, sir, we do have a safe house in Vegas. It's about ten minutes from the strip."

"Yes, sir, all of our safe houses are sound proof."

"Well, we have about eleven men that weren't captured in the raid and haven't been picked up, sir. I think I can get then here in two days."

"Yes, sir, consider it done."

"Yes, sir, they are both very beautiful women."

"It would be hard to choose. Myself, I sort of like the redhead. But I sure wouldn't kick the blonde out of bed for eating crackers."

"Yes, sir, don't worry. We're going to make sure that they are going to be very sorry that they messed with you, sir."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck walked up the hallway towards his room. He had very mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was up over two hundred dollars from Blackjack. Casey was in a very good mood. That alone was rare enough to be worthy of celebrating. On the other, he had to go into that room and face a very pissed Sarah. He would gladly give back that two hundred dollars, and several hundred more, to get Sarah to forgive him. If only money would do it. It was time for some serious groveling.

To Chuck's surprise he saw Sarah sitting on the bed sobbing. That was a first for him. Sarah wasn't a crier. She was the strong silent type. From the tears running down her face, it was obvious she had been crying for some time. Suddenly everything else was driven from his mind. He hurried over and knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Sarah wrapped her arms tightly around Chuck's neck and pulled him close. "Chuck," she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Tell me what's wrong," Chuck said as her rubbed her back. "You're scaring me. Did something happen?"

Sarah was still sobbing. It was even hard to understand her. "I'm so sorry that I got mad at you," she said. "I'm a hothead. I don't know why it happens. I always overreact. I have to remember that you're not a professional and that you're trying your best. Can you please forgive me?"

"Sarah," Chuck sighed as he kissed her head. "Of course. You were right to be mad. I'm the one who's sorry. I have to be more careful. I promise to try harder."

Sarah shook her head as she tried to gather her composure. "I promised Ellie that I wouldn't hurt you and I did on the first day. I've been sitting here crying and feeling guilty ever since you've been gone."

Chuck was too relieved to feel anything else. "It's okay," he said. "Couples have fights. I'm glad this one is over."

"I'm glad too," Sarah agreed as she gently kissed him. "I really, really missed you."

The kiss quickly turned white hot. "I missed you too," Chuck said as their tongues danced.

After about fifteen minutes Sarah could finally catch her breath. Gone were the memories of any tears. There was a definite twinkle in her eye and she was smiling broadly. "That was fantastic," she said. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this right now. But I just won our bet." Sarah laughed as she got off of the bed and threw on Chuck's t-shirt.

Chuck was clearly confused. He had forgotten about the bet. "You mean that was all an act?" he asked numbly. "You were playing me? The whole make up sex thing?"

"The sex was real," Sarah insisted. "In fact, it was maybe our hottest time… and that's saying something. But I told you I could do it. I knew that I'd never be able to seduce you by just being sexy. You'd see through that. I had to get to your weakness. Your weakness is that you're in love with me. You can't stand to see me cry. I knew that it would make you turn off your brain. I had to come up with a reason to cry and feeling guilty over being mad turned the trick."

Now Sarah was laughing. "I have to tell Carina," she said as she bounced out of the room. Chuck could hear Casey's reaction clearly… as could everyone else on the eleventh floor of the Bellagio.

"Damn it, Bartowski. Son of a bitch."

x-x-x-x-x

When Sarah returned, she could plainly see that Chuck was still a little confused. She walked over and hugged him. "Don't worry," she teased. "You won't miss your X-Box that much. I'll find a way to keep your spare time occupied. If you're going to worry about anything, I'd worry about the performance I'm going to demand today as my winnings."

The truth was that Chuck was a little embarrassed at being played so convincingly, but mostly he was proud of her. Maybe it was a tough lesson, but it was also a valuable one. Now he understood things a lot better. For all those years, those marks never stood a chance. Sure, he wanted to win. But she had just played him brilliantly. She did exactly what she told him she would do… identify his weakness and exploit it. "I'm not worried about the stupid X-Box," he sighed. "I'm just depressed that you would put me through all that. You played me, played with my emotions, just to win a bet?"

Now Sarah was concerned. She always knew that her life as a seductress was dangerous territory for them. She thought it was plain that this was only a game. "Come on, sweetie," she said. "I told you when we made the bet that I would do anything. Didn't you believe me?"

Chuck looked at Sarah. She was actually buying this? Well, two could play this game. So fought back the grin and willed the tears into his eyes. "You used the fact that I love you against me?" he asked. "You fooled me so easily. How can I ever look at you again and trust that I know what you're feeling?"

Sarah was now in full-fledged panic as she looked at his devastated look. This had been a horrible mistake. She had to fix this. So she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Please," she pleaded. "Don't feel that way. I was just playing. I promise. I'll never do it again. Please tell me. What can I do to make this up to you?"

Chuck couldn't keep the grin in any longer. "Well, Sarah," he said. "My advice is don't dish it out if you can't take it. As far as what you can do to make it up to me, I have a couple of thoughts."

When she realized that he was teasing, Sarah's shoulders slumped in relief. "Sonofabitch," she sighed. "You just scared me to death. You are so going to pay for that. In fact, since I won the bet, I hope you're prepared to pay all night."

"I think I know what my first wish is."


	4. Off the Hook

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Off the Hook**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was having a good time. Sure, Sarah had spent all afternoon taking full advantage of winning their bet. It was all in good fun, even the taunting. She must have felt a little guilty because she offered right away to let him off the hook. Chuck had come too far to stop now. He kept reminding her that someday, he'd win a bet. He encouraged her to remember this day and not be surprised when he took advantage once the roles were reversed. So she took him at his word. That's not to say she was being cruel or anything. It wasn't much of a surprise what Sarah would ask for. He enjoyed doing it for her… and Sarah loved it. And, yes, now that she was in charge, she stretched it out until his neck was a little sore… maybe not as sore as his hair where her strong fingers guided him exactly where she wanted him to go. Giving her that long backrub was also not that unusual. They both even got in a much needed nap. Then it was downstairs, shopping.

If Sarah was reluctant to push her advantage, she quickly got over it. First, she insisted that they stop and get him a haircut. It was a little unusual for her to be sitting there directing the stylist's every move. And it was a little shorter than Chuck would have liked. But he had to admit, it looked pretty good. Sarah was happy. Happy wife, happy life. She wasn't technically his wife yet, but the point was still valid. Then it was on to the forum shops. Chuck was surprised. He expected that Sarah would be shopping for herself. As it turned out, for the duration of their vacation, she now forbade the Buy More staple of white shirts. She made a big show out of making him model various outfits for her approval, including turning slowly for her amusement. But it wasn't bad. He ended up with a new suit that had Sarah drooling. If he thought about complaining, she reminded him that Carina had Casey down by the pool all afternoon, parading him around sporting his new banana hammock… and that was also well within her rights as bet winner. The implied threat was as much about Carina collecting her winnings as he wanted to know.

Then it was back to the room, for round two of Sarah's favorite thing. Okay, dinner was a little later than usual and a lot more tense as he felt Casey's steely gaze penetrating him. Fortunately, Casey seemed more interested in Carina than killing him at the moment anyway. And what was up with Carina? She was all over him. Whatever victory she had claimed, it had her in a very good mood. Not that Casey appeared disappointed in her affection. They looked every bit a couple. Sarah even seemed to notice. Chuck noticed several times that Sarah caught Carina's eyes with a questioning look when she thought no one else was looking. Carina returned a coy smile each time.

After dinner, Carina asked if they could split up. "I'm sure you and Chuck will want to spend some time alone," Carina said to Sarah. "John and I will meet you in the morning for brunch."

Sarah's smile turned a bit wry. Carina was obviously going to enjoy every minute of her bet winnings. "After brunch, maybe you and I can do some shopping while the boys play some blackjack."

"Great," Carina agreed as she wrapped her arms around Casey's waist. "Not too early. How about 10:00? We'll meet you down here?"

Just like that, they were gone. As soon as Casey and Carina were out of sight, Sarah turned to Chuck. "She's disgusting," she muttered.

Chuck took her offered hand and they started to leave. He didn't expect her to say anything like that. "Why?" he asked.

"Come on," Sarah continued. "That whole act with Casey? I'm starting to worry about him."

That got Chuck laughing. "You're starting to worry about Casey?" he asked. "Of all the people I know, I think that Casey is able to take care of himself. The poor guy probably needs to get laid. Is there something between you two that I should worry about?"

That got Sarah laughing with him. "Chuck," she said as she slapped his chest playfully. "I know that I've given you more reasons to be jealous then you deserve. But if you're jealous of me and Casey, then it's time for counseling."

Well, she had a point. "I know," Chuck agreed. "So what's the problem?"

"I don't know," Sarah sighed. "I just feel so guilty over what I did to win our bet. I guess that Carina's act just reminds me of it. She's putting Casey through the wringer, but I'd not really worried about that. I'm worried about you. It was too soon. We're too new. You're such a good guy, and I used that against you. I played right into your insecurities. I never should have done that. I just got caught up in the competition of the moment. I meant it as a joke but it wasn't worth it. I'm very sorry. I promise I'll never do that to you again."

That got Chuck laughing. "Don't be sorry," he said. "It was funny. I learned an important lesson about underestimating you. Whatever you won today, I had it coming. So does this mean I'm off the hook tonight? I have some non-bedroom things I'd like to show you… unless you want to go back upstairs and collect some more winnings."

Sarah sided into him affectionately. "You're off the hook," she said. "Thank you for being such a good sport."

Chuck put his arm around her. "I enjoyed everything you asked for today," he said. "For the record, you don't need to win a bet. I'm always happy to… um… make you happy. Besides, I'm going to win a bet someday."

Sarah's eyes sparkled. "You are," she agreed. "I'm looking forward to it. You can expect me to be just as good of a sport."

"What's up with the suit and the haircut?" Chuck asked. "Is this how you want me to look?"

Sarah paused for a moment. "You're a good looking dude," she finally said. "I think so, no matter what you're wearing. I don't want to change you. The tennis shoes and the white shirts are your style. I get that. But I have to say, I love it when you dress up sometimes. Here is the honest truth. Right now, you're taking my breath away."

"Thank you," Chuck said. "That's an amazing dress. Right now, we're in one of the most exciting places in the world. Let's just have some fun."

Sarah grinned. "I'm all yours for the rest of the night," she said. "Take that any way you want."

"What's first?"

x-x-x-x-x

Since they were staying at the Bellagio, the famous fountains were a short walk. And even though they could see them from their suite… that had been during the day. Now they were closer. Chuck led Sarah to a strategic spot right in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the fountains and waited for the music.

It had been a warm day, probably a little too warm to walk around outside wearing this suit. But the cool breeze from the cement lake felt wonderful as the sun was setting. When the music started to play, Chuck could tell that Sarah was moved. She put her head against Chuck's arm and her arm around his waist. Chuck put his arm around Sarah and hugged her tightly. "Nice," he sighed. "Isn't it?"

Sarah really wasn't much for romantic things. By and large they made her really uncomfortable. For one thing, she never had anyone in her life she felt about romantically. But this was fabulous. "Wow," was all she could whisper. Long after the music had ended, and the crowd had thinned, they were still in their embrace, enjoying the moment. "Can I ask you a question?" she finally said. "Were you ever here with Jill?"

Chuck pulled her close. "Sarah," he said. "Are you jealous?"

"A little," Sarah answered.

"A little?"

"Okay," Sarah admitted as she looked at the ground. "I'm very jealous. This is the most romantic experience I've ever had in my life. I can't stand the thought of you standing here with Jill… of you having your arm around her… of her being putty in your hands, willing to do anything you'd ask her to. I want this moment, this memory, all to myself. Is that selfish?"

This probably wasn't Chuck's proudest moment. The truth was, he was enjoying this at a couple of levels. Obviously, there was pride. You didn't get jealous unless you were invested. But there was something else. Feeling jealous sucked. Sometimes, Sarah wasn't as sensitive to that as she could have been. Maybe now she would be. "It's not selfish," he assured as he kissed her head. "You don't have to worry about Jill. She hated it here."

That was surprising. How could any woman stand here in this environment with Chuck, and not be moved? "Why?" she asked as she looked at Chuck in surprise.

Chuck considered the question. The truth was that Jill also wasn't very romantic. Comparing them out loud wouldn't be smart. It would be getting into dangerous territory. "Jill was a math major," he answered. "Jill and Bryce devised this system to win at blackjack. It was hard to get them to do anything else. I remember standing with her in almost this exact spot. While she was holding my hand with one hand, she was looking at her watch with the other. It was really obvious that she didn't want to be here. It was anything but romantic."

That finally got a smile. "Really?" Sarah asked.

"Really," Chuck replied. "And as far as being willing to do anything that I'd ask. Let's just say that didn't happen either. In fairness, it was hard with Bryce being in the other bed." Of course, Chuck omitted the part about the magic of the Tai Mai. When Bryce was there, he usually pretended to be asleep. But Chuck had no illusions that part of drunk Jill's turn on was knowing that he was watching.

Sarah's smile turned into a grin. "Jill doesn't sound very smart," she said. "Did they at least win any money?"

Chuck laughed. Whatever Jill's shortcomings as a girlfriend, she was brilliant. "They won some," he said. "It was usually enough to cover the cost of the trip. That's how we could afford to come so often."

Sarah joined his laugh. "And you didn't try and fill her full of Tai Mai's?" she asked skeptically. "Bryce was always trying to get me to drink them. He said they were magic."

Chuck could feel the red creeping up his neck. "That may have happened a time or two," he admitted. "Not to appear crude, but I was hoping that we could have a couple tonight. If they work on you like they worked on her… um… this is going to be a very good night."

"They must be magical," Sarah said. "They're working already and I haven't even had one yet. Let's go back upstairs and I'll prove it to you. So let me get this straight. You had to get Jill drunk? She sounds downright stupid to me."

Actually, Jill was probably the last thing that Chuck wanted to talk about. "Now I'm torn," he said, more to change the subject. "I'm halfway tempted to drag you up to our room and test the magic Mai Tai theory."

"I'd pass that test," Sarah insisted. "The CIA psych guys say that I'm driven to succeed."

"Incredibly tempting," Chuck replied. "But let's enjoy the night. I really never get the chance to romance you. There are a bunch of romantic things to do here. If we go back to the room after each one, it'll take us a month. And I'll need some vitamin E. I'm not sure you can take that much vitamin E."

Sarah put on her fake pout. "Okay," she said. "We can wait. We have all night. You can't keep me out of that room forever. What's next?"

Chuck grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her around. "Right across the street is the Eiffel Tower," he said. "Have you ever been to the real one? It's something I really want to see someday."

Sarah looked at his face. Of course she had been to Paris several times. She had seen the Eiffel Tower. It was hard to miss. But before today, it never had any significance for her. It was just a building. In the blink of an eye it became a symbol to her. If Chuck wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, or anything when it came right down to it, she'd help make it happen and be there with him holding his hand. She just nodded. "We'll go as soon as we can," she promised. "I'll find a way somehow to rock your world at the top. That's a promise."

Chuck had to laugh at the thought of Sarah finding a quiet corner of the Eiffel Tower to get in a quickie. Oh, she wasn't kidding at all. It was going to happen someday. Whatever, he quickly found that was having the time of his life. They walked up the strip, seeing the sights. As they went into each casino, they would have a drink and find a slot machine to play for a couple of minutes. Chuck was pleasantly surprised that Sarah had resisted Bryce's attempts to get her drunk with Mai Tai's. Once she actually tried one, she decided that she loved them.

Chuck felt a strange sense of pride that, in a city famous for beautiful women, he had the most beautiful one on his arm… and especially the most beautiful one that wasn't on the clock. They went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris. They watched the volcano erupt at the Mirage. They watched the pirate show at Treasure Island. Then they crossed the street and worked their way back. As they rode the gondola at the Venetian, the driver joked that it was tradition to kiss under the bridge, not get to second base. They held each other and swayed to the music as they listened to the outside band at Harrah's. Somewhere half way between dancing and making out. Finally they walked into Bally's. The combination of romantic activities and the several Mai Tai's had conspired to create a warm glow that had them both giggling like school kids. Sarah noticed the sign for the Wedding Chapel and pointed to it. "How about it?" she asked. "We did come here to elope."

At first, Chuck thought that she was teasing. "I thought we were already married", he answered. "We have been for two years."

"That's Chuck and Sarah Anderson," Sarah said. "I'm talking about Chuck and Sarah Bartowski."

"We don't have any id to show that I'm Chuck Bartowski," Chuck protested. "It wouldn't be legal."

Sarah thought about it for a moment. "The vows would still count, wouldn't they?" she asked. "That's what's important. We could always fix the legal thing later."

Chuck now knew that she was being serious. This was a huge step for her. "You've had a lot to drink, tonight," he asked gently. "Are you sure this is something you want to do?"

Sarah's smile turned decidedly sad. "Are you saying you don't want to do this?" she asked. "That's what I was afraid of."

Chuck was struck by the ridiculousness of this situation. "Sarah," he sighed. "Why would you be afraid of that? I want this more than anything. I'm worried about you. This would be forever to me. You've had a lot to drink. You don't have to do this to prove anything to me."

Sarah actually smiled at his perceptiveness. Just a few days ago, being a wife was something she never even thought about. She saw what being a wife did to her mom. Thinking in terms like forever was scary. Getting married would have been something she forced herself to do, mostly to prove something to him. Now she found that she had never wanted anything more in her life. "I want this more than you do," she said. "I can't explain why… but I know that I do. I'll freely admit that I don't have a clue how to be a wife. I'll need a lot of understanding from you as I learn. But I want to go in there and say our vows to each other, and know that whatever happens, for the rest of our lives, it will happen to us together. So now, I guess that I'm asking you to prove something to me. I have a hard time believing someone as wonderful as you would ever marry me. I guess I'll never really believe it until I hear you say I do. I'm going to be nervous until then."

Chuck pulled her in close. "Which one of us just said that?" he asked. "If it wasn't me, it sure should have been. If you want to me say I do, let's go right now and say it to each other."

As they walked into the chapel, there was a rather tired looking clerk sitting behind the counter. "Excuse me," Chuck said hesitantly. "We'd like to get married."

The clerk didn't look up. She just pushed a clipboard towards them. "Why else would you be here?" she asked. "The fee is two hundred and fifty three dollars. Fill out this application."

They had to use their cover names. Sarah piped up. "We coincidently have the same last name but we're not related," she explained.

The clerk still didn't look up. "Honey," she replied. "This is Vegas. As long as you have the two hundred and fifty three dollars, I don't care if you're brother and sister."

As they were filling out the application Chuck turned to Sarah. "We don't have rings," he said sadly.

Sarah smiled as she fished out a couple of boxes from her purse. "Don't worry," she said. "I have our Chuck and Sarah Anderson rings in my purse. We should have put them on before we got out of the car. It's just…"

Suddenly the light bulb went on. "You planned this," he said with a grin. "That's why I got a haircut and a new suit today."

Sarah grinned back at him. "Planned is a little strong," she protested. "I was telling the truth earlier. I love this look on you. You do take my breath away. But, yeah, I was sort of hoping this would happen sometime tonight."

After a few minutes, they were ushered into the chapel proper and another tired looking official performed the ceremony. Chuck noticed that Sarah seemed very nervous. That was very out of character for her. Her hands were visibly shaking during the vows. As soon as Chuck said 'I do', however, she got the largest grin Chuck had ever seen.

Soon after, the official said, "You may kiss the bride." They were married… maybe not legally… not yet anyway… but it didn't matter a bit. In some ways, it was a little anticlimactic. Both already acted as if they were married. But this was an important milestone.

Sarah leapt into Chuck's arms and pressed her mouth to his. They might still be there necking except that after a couple of minutes, the official broke them up. "The wedding's over," he said.

"The honeymoon has to start outside. We have other people waiting."

x-x-x-x-x


	5. The Wedding Night

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **The Wedding Night**

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they left the chapel, Sarah turned to Chuck and threw her arms around him. Thank you," she said.

Chuck smiled at the thought that this goddess was seriously thanking him for the huge favor of marrying her. It bordered on surreal. "You're totally welcome," he teased as soon as he could come up for air. "Welcome to the family, Mrs. Bartowski… or is it Mrs. Anderson?"

Sarah snuggled into him as she considered the question. The truth was, this was still very complicated. In fact, it had just gotten a little more complicated. There were serious compromises that normal marriages didn't have to suffer. She knew that she'd have to work very hard to keep those compromises to a minimum. "Right now," she sighed. "I'm afraid that it's both."

"So I guess I'm owed a double dip wedding night," Chuck teased. "Will I survive?"

He probably couldn't have said anything better. Not only was Sarah relieved that he was teasing her, she was quite in the mood to deliver as much torrid wedding night as he could handle. Hopefully they could agree on the boundaries between bodyguard and wife… but that was tomorrow's problem. "It's unclear," she said. "There's only one sure way to know. It's time to take the training wheels off and find out. The truth is that you're owed far more than that."

The good news was that their suite was just across the street. They raced to the hotel as fast as Sarah could drag him. When they got there, Chuck surprised her and stopped at the concierge desk for a second while Sarah impatiently waited. Chuck was being a little coy. He plainly was just as excited to get up to that room as she was, but he wanted it to be perfect. This was their one and only wedding night. Sure, they were both on fire. But they needed to slow down and enjoy it. He, almost literally, dragged her, protesting loudly, into the bar for a drink first.

Drinking a Mai Tai was probably the last thing that Sarah wanted to do at this particular moment. But Chuck was in charge. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they were outside the suite. Chuck opened the hotel room door. Sarah rushed to enter the room when she felt Chuck's hand on her shoulder. "Sarah," he said. "I get that our life is going to be complicated. There are a lot of things that our circumstance has cheated you out of." He scooped Sarah up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.

"This is not going to be one of them."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they were in the room, Sarah understood why he had insisted that they stop in the bar for a drink. The concierge had come through. It was amazing what a couple hundred dollar tip could do. A bottle of her favorite champagne was sitting by the bed in a bucket of ice. Everywhere she looked, she saw beautiful snow white gardenias. She was moved on two fronts. First, her new husband was pampering her. That was sweet. Nobody ever pampered her. Even as a kid, Dad was a tough love guy. The faux pampering from the endless line of potential suitors was transparent. It tended to piss her off. On the other hand, Chuck pampering her was something she found that she could get used too. But even more impressive, he had bothered to learn what her favorites were. Bryce wouldn't have had a clue what her favorite flower was. He always sent her roses to make up for the numerous times he screwed up. "Very impressive," she said as she leaned over to smell one of the beautiful flowers. "The groom has done his homework."

Chuck shook his head. "It's the least I can do," he insisted. "You're getting cheated out of so many things. I want to treat you like the goddess that you are. You deserve that from me. So any time that I can pamper you, I want to take full advantage."

"It's sweet," Sarah called from the bathroom.

Sarah had plainly prepared for this moment in advance, because she was only gone for a minute… maybe two. When she came out, Chuck couldn't believe his eyes. She was wearing… well, what was it? All he could see was that it was red. But it hid nothing. In fact, it only enhanced the fact that she was naked. Her new arousal tell was there in full power. He had seen her naked plenty of times. The truth was that she plainly enjoyed teasing him by coming out of the shower in the middle of the day and dropping the towel. She would always be a beautiful woman. By some sense that he couldn't explain, this was different. Standing before him wasn't the trained seductress… posing to arouse her mark. She was wordlessly telling him that he was now her husband… with all the privileges that came along with the title. It was the sexiest thing Chuck had ever seen… or could even imagine. "Oh my God," was all he could say.

Sarah grinned and stood there posing for him. "It's the least I can do," she insisted. "You're getting cheated out of so many things. I want to treat you like the love of my life that you are. You deserve that from me. So any time that I can pamper you, I want to take full advantage."

Chuck was frozen. "I'm sorry that I'm staring," he said.

Sarah's grin turned even broader. The truth was, he couldn't have done anything better for her at this point. "Why are you sorry?" she teased. "This view is your right. Other men have seen me without clothes. I'm afraid our circumstance means that it might still happen. That's something no husband should be asked to put up with. But here is my solemn promise to you. You're the only man who has ever seen me like this. This is reserved for you… and it will be for the rest of your life. Stare all you want. I love it when you take advantage."

Chuck knew exactly what she meant. It wasn't that she was naked. Marks had seen that. Bryce had seen it many times. This was different. It was her aura. It was the lovesick look on her face. She was simply perfect. He could stand there and look at her forever.

As if Sarah could read his mind, she reached down, grabbed the hem of her garment, and slowly lifted it over her head. After it was tossed to the floor, she stood there in only her heels. "Let's make this official," she said. "I wasn't kidding. I'll stand here all night and let you look as long as you want. I'll even put on any show you'd like to enhance your viewing pleasure. I really hope that you take me up on that. It would be a huge turn-on for me. But first I do have some other things I'd like to show my new husband about what he can now expect for the rest of his life. They're a little more action oriented. The wedding is traditionally for the bride. The wedding night is traditionally for the groom. You came through for me with the most romantic wedding a girl could ever hope for. I plan on coming through for you just as much. Fair warning. That is a fantastic new suit. I really like it and it was pretty expensive."

"It would be a shame if I have to rip it off you."

x-x-x-x-x

When Chuck woke up, he instinctively reached for Sarah. When he couldn't feel her, he sat upright in panic trying to find her. Thankfully, he didn't have long to look. She was sitting in front of the dresser. She was looking at her left hand, studying her new wedding ring. Chuck walked up behind her. "Good morning, Mrs. Bartowski," he said to her reflection in the mirror as he kissed her head. "That ring sure looks good on your hand, especially since it's the only thing you're wearing."

Sarah grinned at him in the mirror. "Doesn't it?" she agreed. "Sweetie, this just feels right. I'm honesty not sure why I was so afraid of it."

With Sarah sitting and Chuck standing, it was hard for him to wrap his arms around her without it seeming like he was groping her. Then he realized something. It wasn't something that he needed to worry about. They were married. They enjoyed their embrace for a long moment.

Of course, Sarah realized that having his hands on her bare chest wasn't intended to be sexual. It's just that she was almost perpetually aroused anyway. What she was feeling poking into her back told her that Chuck was thinking along the same lines. Ten more seconds of this action, and they were headed back to the bed. Normally that would be more than acceptable. But there were things they needed to talk about. So she broke the embrace, stood, and turned to face him. "Chuck, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," she said. "I wanted to wait until we were married because I didn't want you to feel weird. I hope you're not going to be mad."

She seemed serious. "Are you a space alien?" Chuck teased.

That got Sarah giggling. "No," she said.

"Are you a machine?" Chuck asked. "Like in the Chronicles of Sarah Conner? That sounds like the CIA."

Sarah continued giggling. "No," she said. "Although, I have to admit, that does sound like the CIA."

"Don't tell me that you used to be a man," Chuck said. "If so, then I have to meet that surgeon. He does amazing work."

And there it was, today's reminder of how wonderful her life had become. She was on fire… on cloud nine… perhaps the happiest she had ever been in her life… and he could still make her laugh out loud. It was a long time before she could answer. "No again," she finally said.

"Okay," Chuck said. "I give."

Sarah paused for a moment. Why was this hard? It wasn't a bad thing. "Here's the deal," she started slowly. "I… um, I mean we, we're… well… we're kinda rich."

"What do you mean?" Chuck asked softly.

"It's a long story," Sarah began. "I worked with my dad for a few years before I joined the CIA. I'd rather wait and tell you the details of that some other time. I'm not proud of it. That will be painful for me. But he always put my share into a trust fund. Just about the time I turned eighteen and got the money, I was recruited into the agency. I've spent almost all of the past ten years in the field, so I never got a chance to spend any of my salary. It's all been sitting in the bank collecting interest."

"How much?" Chuck asked.

The truth was that Sarah didn't exactly know. She had been far too busy lately to even look at the statements. She took a breath. "Last time I checked," she said. "It was about twenty million. It's probably more now."

Chuck was stunned. "Wow," he said.

"Chuck," Sarah said softly. "Please don't feel weird about this. I mean, it's a good thing, right?"

"I feel guilty," Chuck sighed. "You were out of my league before this. You're beautiful, brilliant… and rich? I feel like a gold digger."

Sarah's smile faded. "That's silly," she insisted. "First off, I'm not rich. We're rich. Second, how could you be a gold digger when you didn't know about the money until after we were married? Finally, I think you know my position on you saying that I'm out of your league."

"Sarah," Chuck sighed. "That's a lot of money. If you want to see a lawyer about a prenuptial agreement, I wouldn't be offended."

Sarah got quiet for a long moment. "I understand that you weren't trying to insult me," she finally said. "You're just being sweet. But please never say anything like that again. That money never meant anything to me. The only reason that it means anything to me now is because I can share it with you. I would have gladly paid twenty million to feel the way I do right now. In fact, I'd like you to take charge of managing it. You're better at that sort of thing."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I wasn't trying to insult you. I'm not coming to this marriage empty handed. I have a few hundred dollars in the bank. Half of that is now yours. Does being rich mean I can keep my X-Box?"

That got Sarah laughing again. "Oh hell no," she said. "A bet is a bet. I hate that thing. I get that being jealous of a machine is a little silly. But I'd prefer that you stop spending your free time with your nose in some pretend game, and start spending all of your free time with your nose in your very real wife. I'm being unreasonable. I get that. Someday I might feel differently. Right now, I'm not going to apologize for being insanely possessive."

"If you want to play video games, you'll have to go over to Morgan's."

x-x-x-x-x

As wonderful as it was, even Sarah understood that you couldn't spend your life in bed. They had a date to meet Carina and Casey for brunch. The first thing that Sarah did was to tell them about last night's big event. Chuck was actually quite surprised by their reactions. He was expecting Carina to be joyous and Casey to be stoic. It turned out to be the exact opposite. Casey was overjoyed. He kissed Sarah. He even hugged Chuck. Carina, on the other hand, seemed very reserved. Oh, she kissed Sarah and Chuck. She told them how happy she was for them. She just seemed off, sad even. Chuck made a mental note to talk to Casey about it when he could get them alone.

Sarah was clearly in a very good mood. "What are you guys going to do this morning while we're shopping?" she asked playfully.

"I'm not sure," Chuck replied. "We'll probably just hang out in the casino like yesterday."

Casey's eyes turned steely. "I don't know," he growled. "I suppose we could hang out in the casino. Or maybe I'll just seduce him. Apparently, it's quite easy."

That got them all laughing. "Well, I wish you luck either way," Sarah teased. "Let me know how it goes. Fair warning, I'm thinking he might be sexed out for a while. And if he's not in shape to continue our honeymoon later… well, I hope you get used to being in my doghouse."

Chuck shook his head. They were having far too good of a time at his expense. "Can we perhaps change the subject to something less painful?" he asked. "I hear that children are starving in Africa."

That got them laughing again. "We're going next door to the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace," Carina said. "If you decide against the seduction thing, maybe you could walk with us and try the Caesar's casino. I have a feeling we're going to need some help carrying stuff home anyway. I'm in the mood."

Casey just grinned at her.

"Carina, when are you not in the mood?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Casey were sitting at a blackjack table waiting for the girls to finish shopping. Casey was actually winning for the first time since they had arrived. That put him in a much better mood. Chuck decided that he would get this over with while Casey's mood was good. "I'm sorry that I lost your bet," he said.

Casey smiled. "Forget it, kid," he said. "It was a long shot. I really didn't mind losing all that much. Now I don't have to feel guilty the next time I win. How did she break you anyway? Sexy lingerie?"

Chuck shook his head sadly. "It was much more sinister than that," he said. "I underestimated her. She cried on my shoulder."

"She cried?" Casey questioned. "She cried on your shoulder? That doesn't even seem fair."

Chuck needed to change the subject. "She's a little worried about you," he said.

Casey thought he was teasing. "Right," he said. "Why would she be worried about me?"

"She's worried about Carina," Chuck replied. "She sees how Carina is acting. Sarah says that she's seen it before and is worried that you're going to get hurt."

That got Casey laughing. In fact he laughed for a long time. "That's funny," he finally said. "It looks like Carina's plan is working."

"Plan?" Chuck asked.

Casey was still laughing. "She's messing with Sarah's head," he said. "Apparently it's a game between them. It's something that she's very good at."

Chuck sat silent in thought for a long moment. "Wait a minute," he finally exclaimed. "Casey, I know you're pissed at me for the bet thing but you have to help me. I know exactly how to get back at Sarah. I'll owe you like forever."

Casey smiled at Chuck. Messing with Sarah was fun… and it might score him points in the bedroom.

"What do you have in mind?"

x-x-x-x-x

In the Fulcrum safe house, four men were seated as Steve Jones entered the room. As demanded by military decorum, as soon as they noticed him, they all stood and snapped to attention.

Jones smiled. Fulcrum wasn't exactly a military organization. None of them were in uniform. But they still fell over themselves giving him respect. These men were certainly loyal. After the massive defeat of the other night, their agents were being picked up left and right. The safest thing would be just to lay low. "Please," he said. "Relax, men. Sit down. Has there been any change in status?"

"No, sir," one of the men answered. "Agents Walker and Miller are still checked into the Bellagio with their male companions. It still looks like they're planning on staying for some time. We have their car bugged so we'll be aware if they move but there's no sign of that. We have two men stationed at the Bellagio to keep track of them. We're rotating in four hours shifts. One interesting thing is that Agent Walker and her friend were observed going to a wedding chapel last night. When they came out, they were wearing wedding rings."

Talk about a surprise. Agents like Walker didn't get married. "Really?" he asked. "Did it look like she actually got married?"

"Well, sir," the man replied. "It's really hard to tell with an agent of the quality of Walker. But it sure looked like it to us. I mean she even got carried over the threshold. We're pretty convinced that they think they just got married. At least the man does."

Jones' smile turned more sinister. Killing Walker wasn't good enough. He now wanted revenge. They were in public. This had to be covert. They didn't have a big enough force for anything else. Capturing someone as skilled as Walker would be a challenge in those conditions. But what if she could be convinced to surrender? "Excellent," he said. "This is going to make this so much easier. What is the status of our remaining men?"

"Sir, we have four in route," the man replied. "They are coming from Denver and should be here sometime tomorrow. They are the only force we have west of Ohio. We lost everybody else in the headquarters raid and the subsequent raids from the data that we lost."

"That will make eleven total," Jones said to himself. "That should be enough."

"Yes, sir," the man replied.

"Good," Jones said. "This is what I want done. Continue the surveillance. When our men from Denver arrive, we'll grab Walker's friend. Let's see how much she really does care for him."

"Yes, sir," the man replied.

"I can't tell you enough how much I want those bitches," Jones continued. "I made a foolish mistake agreeing to meet with them at our headquarters. I just was so looking forward to having a shot at the famous Sarah Walker. I was blinded by lust and it cost the organization a disastrous defeat. Now that I have nothing to lose, I want revenge. I will not tolerate any mistakes. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," the man answered snappily. "Totally understood. Don't worry, sir. We're all over this."

Jones left the room grinning and talking to himself. If Walker does care for this man, she'll do anything to protect him. It's why agents never allow themselves to be that position in the first place. I'm going to use him to make her give me everything I ask.

And I'm going to ask for a lot.

x-x-x-x-x


	6. The Honeymooners

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **The Honeymooners**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were in their suite after returning from Caesars Palace. Carina was right. They did need some help with the packages. Sarah was obviously excited about the day's events… and life in general when it came right down to it. "I can't wait to show you the perfect outfits that I found," she said.

Chuck plopped down on the couch. It had been a fairly long walk carrying that many packages. He realized that he had a lot to learn about his new wife. On missions, she was a complete badass… hard as nails… take no prisoners. Now that she was allowing him to see inside her badass walls, he was discovering another side. In the bedroom, she was an aggressive super-sexy angel. But he had never seen her look so feminine. Certainly he had never heard her talk about clothes before. He knew that she was always impeccably dressed. She obviously had a fashion sense. Those clothes must have come from somewhere. "I've always thought that you look like a super model," he teased. "Maybe you can model them for me, right now."

Sarah grinned. That had been her plan all along anyway. But it was extra exciting that he asked. "So," she said. "You want a show?"

Chuck simply nodded expectantly. "It seems only fair. I modeled for you yesterday. Although that was PG. Maybe now that we're married, we can move it up a notch."

"But I won a bet," Sarah protested. "Maybe this is something we should save until you win a bet."

Chuck looked at her like she had suddenly spouted a third eye. "Trust me," he said. "When I win a bet, we're going to move it up ten notches. The only thing you're going to be modeling is some variation of your birthday suit."

Sarah's head jerked up in surprise. Frankly she was skeptical that he'd ever be so bold as to demand that she strip for his amusement… but just the idea of Chuck parading her around the room shedding clothes was an instant turn on. "Fair enough," she said. She grabbed her bags of clothes and went into the bathroom. As Sarah was changing into her first outfit, she began teasing Chuck through the door. "I never thought that you were into clothes," she teased.

"I'm not," Chuck replied with a laugh. "Lately, I like it a lot better when you're not into clothes either… if you get my meaning."

Sarah laughed at his double entendre. He was getting bolder… talking anyway. That was a very good sign. Hopefully it would translate into action soon. "Yes, Chuck," she said as she opened the door. "I got it. It wasn't that subtle. This is what I bought to go dancing tonight." She did a quick spin for his inspection. She was wearing a satin blouse that was a light shade of purple. A darker purple skirt with a provocative slit and matching pumps completed the ensemble.

Chuck nodded his approval. "Excellent choice, madam," he said. "Lovely, classic lines with just a touch of slutty thrown in for good measure. Since when are we going dancing tonight?"

It had been Carina's suggestion. Chuck would probably be okay with it. Casey? Not so much. "Carina and I just thought it might be fun," she explained as she reentered the bathroom. "We are on our honeymoon after all. We don't have to if you don't want to."

Chuck knew full well that dancing was Sarah's favorite thing. Happy wife, happy life. And that outfit would be perfect to watch her bounce around the floor. "No," he said quickly. "I'll go. I'll just need a few Mai Tai's before actually dancing."

Sarah laughed from the bathroom. "They are magic," she agreed. "We're in the right city for that." She stepped out of the bathroom. "This is what I bought for tomorrow when we go to a fancy club." She was wearing a very shear backless cream colored dress. The spaghetti straps that tied around her neck ending in a plunging neck line that showed a maximum amount of cleavage. The dress hugged her hips and then opened up to just below her knees. "Of course, I'll have to put my hair up for this."

Chuck could only shake his head at the sight. It was hard to believe that he was married to this goddess. "Trust me," he sighed. "No one is going to be looking at your hair. If you go to a club with me dressed like that, no one is going to believe we could be a couple. You look fantastic."

"Thanks," Sarah teased as she reentered the bathroom. "That's just what I was going for. Maybe we can go shopping for you this afternoon. You need more than just the one suit. Would you like that?"

"If it makes you happy," Chuck replied. "I'm fine. Although I don't think you're going to find me many suits that make us believable as a couple."

Sarah groaned a little. Okay, he was mostly teasing. But his lack of self-esteem was getting frustrating. Chuck was a very good looking man. Maybe she was a little biased, but he was as good looking as anybody. It was something she was committed to work on. She opened the door. "Here is the last one," she said. "This is what I bought to make my new sexy husband excited enough to stop talking about it and actually jump on me."

Chuck simply gulped. It was similar to last night. Instead of a red something, this one was white. But like last night, it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Sarah stood there posing for a moment then walked up to Chuck and straddled his lap. "Well?" she asked. "Are you excited?"

Chuck took full note of her shot. So he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

"Like the French when Limburg landed."

x-x-x-x-x

It was about twenty minutes later before Chuck or Sarah could regain their breath enough to speak. Finally Chuck broke the silence. "What is that thing called?" he asked. "Who made it anyway? I think we should buy stock in the company."

Sarah smiled at her husband. "It's called a Teddy," she explained. She got a lot more serious. "Chuck," she said softly. "Can I ask you something?"

Chuck simply nodded.

Sarah hesitated trying to decide what to say. The last thing she wanted was to tell him that she wasn't happy. She was floating on a cloud. But still… "Please don't take this the wrong way," she started cautiously. "I'm not complaining. But why do you always seem to wait for me to make the first move? You know that I'm your wife? I want you to know that I'm here for you. You don't have to feel shy about letting me know what you want."

Chuck could tell that she was serious. He was trying hard not to laugh. "By my unofficial count," he said. "We have made love sixteen times in the past five days. I sure hope you're not asking me to step up the pace. If you are, I'm in big trouble. I might have to take a class or something."

Yes, he was teasing. And he had a point. But she had one too. "I guess I haven't given you much time to breath," she admitted. "I'll back off a little if that's what you want. You're so generous in bed. You need to get something out of it too. I just want to make sure that you don't feel uncomfortable letting me know you're in the mood for something."

Chuck looked at his wife. This was bothering her more than she was admitting. They had a gender reversal thing going from day one. Yes, he waited for her to make the first move. He usually didn't have to wait long. "Force of habit," he said. "This isn't a bad thing. It shouldn't bother you. I spent the last year wanting you so much that I ached. Up until two weeks ago, I knew that I couldn't touch you the wrong way or I was going to see the business end of one of your knifes. I guess I just got used to suffering in silence. And taking a lot of cold showers."

It was a good point. She had just spent a year sending him very mixed signals. Why wouldn't he be a little confused? "I'm sorry that I put you through that," Sarah admitted. "I was suffering too. I just thought it was best if we stayed professional. For the record, I would never have thrown a knife at you."

"Really?" Chuck asked.

"Of course not," Sarah teased. "I would have just twisted your hand backwards until you got the message."

That got them both laughing. "My point exactly," Chuck said.

Yeah, it was understandable that he would be hesitant. It was like his low self-esteem comparing himself to Bryce. Both were mostly her fault. It was something that she would have to work hard to get him over. He would never be a macho, take charge guy. It was hard to complain about that. It was one of his best qualities. But still… "That's over now," Sarah said. "I'm not asking you to change. I love what I have. Yes, I get that I'm probably making this a bigger deal than it is. I just want you to understand. I'm your wife. I love you. I'd love for you to feel comfortable asking for things. You'd get them faster than you can imagine. You certainly should feel comfortable touching me anyplace you want."

Chuck nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sarah was still laughing. "Unless," she said. "If I have a headache, I'm not in the mood, or you're cut off for screwing up a mission. Then I'll twist your hand backwards until you scream."

"Thanks for the warning," Chuck said sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."

This was getting uncomfortable. She had made her point. It was time to change the subject. "Chuck," Sarah said softly. "Can I ask you a question? When did you first know that you were in love with me?"

Chuck didn't hesitate. "That's pretty easy," he said. "The night that we first slept together. The night Ellie was poisoned. That was the first time I thought that it might actually happen. Of course, you shot me down that night."

"But that wasn't that long ago," Sarah protested. "You just said that you ached for me for the past year."

"You asked about love," Chuck said. "You didn't say anything about lust. I think I had a fantasy about you naked before you left the Buy More that first day."

That got them both laughing. "Men are such pigs," Sarah said.

"Wait a minute," Chuck protested. "You owe your career to that. I think this phone is broke because I didn't get a call from you? What's up with that?"

Sarah punched him playfully. "It worked, didn't it?" she asked. "Actually I have a confession to make about that night we first slept together. I was hoping you'd make a move. Why do you think I wore that outfit?"

Chuck could only shake his head in frustration. "Why are you telling me this now?" he asked. "You'll never know how hard it was to be in that bed."

"I could tell it was very hard," Sarah teased. "If you would have taken a swing that night, you would have hit a homer. Why didn't you?"

Chuck got a little more serious. He always knew that if anything were to happen between them, she would have to explicitly let him know that it was okay. "I was trying to respect your position," he explained. "You said that you couldn't do your job and have a relationship. I was trying to help you."

Sarah could only look at him. It was today's reminder of how lucky she was. And the truth was, it was a good thing that it didn't happen that night. As much as she wanted it to happen, it would have freaked her out. The next day, she would have done something stupid… like request reassignment. "That's a big reason why I fell for you so hard," she sighed. "You're such a good guy. Worrying about my feelings wouldn't have stopped most men in that situation. Trust me."

Chuck knew that he had to let her off the hook a little. "How about you?" he asked. "When did you know?"

"I've known that I was getting in trouble for a long time," Sarah admitted softly. "Almost the very first day. I remember sitting on that beach with you, telling myself how great of a guy you were. You were freaked out and I felt so sorry for you. Trust me on something. I'm not used to being around nice guys. Then we started spending all this time together and every day I could see how amazing you really were. Spies aren't supposed to fall in love, so I denied it to myself. Over time, the harder I fought it, the worse it got. I guess the point when I couldn't deny it any more was when you broke up with me to date Lou. That was a horrible week. I was so messed up that when Bryce came back and asked me to leave with him, I almost went. Chuck, I was all packed. I just couldn't do it. I didn't know what to do. I was in love with someone I couldn't be with. You know that I don't do well in frustrating situations. That was one of the worst days of my life."

Chuck nodded. It explained a lot. "One of the worst days of my life is when you told me that our kiss was a mistake," he said. "You were so mad at me. And I had to watch you and Lon Kirk. I was never so jealous in my life. That sucked."

"I know," Sarah said. "I was so messed up. I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to say. I was desperate. Would it cheer you up to know that I got through that by pretending that Lon Kirk was you?"

Chuck nodded. "A little," he said.

Sarah couldn't keep in the wet laugh. "I almost called him Chuck once," she said. "Thank goodness I caught myself. Imagine explaining that to Beckman at the debriefing?"

"You mean that you would have slept with him pretending to be with me?" Chuck asked.

Sarah looked at him for a long moment. "I'm going to be completely honest. I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "I've never actually slept with a mark on a mission. It's disgusting and I don't even think it's productive. One of the main secrets of using sex to control men in the short term, is to not actually have sex. You need to consume their thoughts with trying to get you into bed. Once they get you there, you've lost control. You're reduced to giving up wilder and even wilder sex pretty much on their schedule. I know that Bryce made it sound like I slept with men during missions every other day. I want you to know that's not true."

"You don't have to answer," Chuck said softly. "But why him?"

Sarah's smile was sad… but it was a smile. "It didn't have anything to do with him," she said. "It was you. I was so pissed at you. You made me fall in love. It's probably the worst thing that could have happened to me at the time. I was confused…scared. I knew you were watching. I figured making you watch me screw this guy would have scared you off. I had it all planned. He was already close to feeling me up. I was going to take the mark below and give him an afternoon he'd never forget. I was going to loudly put on a show for him so you could hear, screw his brains out multiple times, and then find an excuse to let you see me all sweaty and naked so you'd know exactly what happened. Chuck, I was messed up. I was planning to screw him while pretending he was you… to scare you away. Yeah, I get that in the light of day that logic doesn't make much sense. Would I have actually done it? I'm honestly not sure what would have happened if you hadn't interrupted… but I'm very glad that you did."

Chuck simply smiled at Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad too," he said.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said. "I was such a bitch to you. All you did was love and respect me. You were perfect. I made things too hard."

Chuck squeezed her tight. "Don't be sorry," he said. "You're being too hard on yourself. That was before we were together. I know that this is going to sound weird. I'm actually glad that it was hard. You gave up something that was important to you in order to be with me. I get that. It makes being together all the more special."

"It is very special," Sarah agreed. "That's understatement. We have something I didn't even believe existed. Every day it seems to get better. And that's why I want you to feel comfortable. This is perfect for me. I want to do everything I possibly can to make it perfect for you."

"So circling back to seduction missions," Chuck teased. "You say that the trick is to actually string the mark along and not have sex? You're telling me that's the same for Carina? She comes on to a lot of men but doesn't really sleep with them?"

"No," Sarah said. "I love Carina but she's a genuine slut. She enjoys the power of getting men into bed. So where I would end it after my assignment had been accomplished, she stays and… um, pays off. She doesn't mind getting reduced to wilder and wilder sex. Then she calls me and brags about it in disgusting detail. She was the rock star of our seduction training."

That got Chuck laughing. "Tell me about the training," he said. "That's a story I think I want to hear."

Sarah joined his laughing. "I'm happy to tell you everything," she said. "But can we wait until our honeymoon is over?"

"I don't think that our honeymoon is ever going to be over."

Sarah could only stare at him. She was having a hard time processing all of this. Chuck had just summed up her complex thoughts in a single breath. It was like he could read her mind. "I don't think so either," she said.

Chuck watched her trying to gather her composure and knew that he had to let her off the hook. "What's up with Casey and Carina?" he asked.

Sarah knew full well what Chuck was doing. It was sweet. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Chuck grinned at her. "I think they might be getting serious," he said. "Casey was telling me that Carina was really pressing him. He's getting nervous."

That broke the mood and got them both laughing. "Come on Chuck," Sarah said. "Carina is just playing. Casey knows that. They both know the game."

It was time to set the hook. "I don't think so," Chuck insisted. "I think they might be getting serious."

"Chuck," Sarah said firmly. "Trust me. There's no way in hell."

The fish had taken the bait and was on the line. All that remained was to reel her in. "Wanna bet?" Chuck asked mischievously.

Sarah was sure he was teasing. "What did you have in mind?" she asked. "You know our last bet didn't go so well for you? I took it easy on you last time. This time I won't feel a bit guilty when I win."

Chuck was undaunted. "Neither will I," he said with a grin. "If you can get Carina to admit that she's just playing tonight, you win. If not, then I win."

"Chuck," Sarah sighed. "You don't need to win a bet to get those wild things from me. That's what I've been trying to tell you. I want you to win a bet. I do. I'm afraid that this one isn't it. Are you sure about this?"

Chuck just smiled at her and went for the jugular. "Are you chicken?" he asked.

Sarah could only grin at how well he knew her. Calling her chicken was like waving a red flag in front of a bull, throwing blood in shark infested waters, and petting a cat against the grain… all put together. "Okay, mister," she said. "You've got a bet. Don't come crying to me when you're by the pool modeling your skimpy banana hammock for me… and everybody."

Chuck didn't back down a bit. Of course it was easier when you knew that the fix was in. "Agreed," he said. "Of course modeling an ultra-skimpy bikini wouldn't bother you. You'd go full monty and not bat an eye. Don't worry. I'll think of something."

"We'd better get dressed," Sarah said. "We're supposed to meet them in twenty minutes for dinner."

When Sarah stood up, Chuck grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the bed. He rolled on top and kissed her. "They can wait," he said.

"I need some first move cred."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey has just finished putting Carina's packages on the bed. "What did you buy?" he panted. "The whole spring line?"

Carina laughed. The truth is, she had gone a little nuts. It had been a long time since Sarah and she were shopping. It was like old times. The fact that the CIA was paying for everything sure didn't hurt. "Just a small portion of it," she replied. "A girl needs to look good. Doesn't she?"

"That's never been a problem for you," Casey said. "I'm pretty sure that you could wear this pillow case and look good."

Carina smiled. Casey didn't pass out those compliments often so you enjoyed them when they came. "Maybe we'll try that tonight," she said. "After we get back from dancing."

That ended Casey's good mood. "Dancing?" he groaned. "Since when are we going dancing? I hate dancing."

Carina slapped him playfully on the arm. "Stop being so grumpy," she said. "Sarah and I thought it would be fun to go dancing. We thought that after dinner, we'd go shopping for a new outfit for you and Chuck. Then tonight we'd go hit a few clubs."

"Grrr," Casey growled wordlessly.

Carina smiled the smile of victory. "Was that a yes?" she teased. "Come on. I'll make sure that you have a good time. If not dancing, then later, when I'll owe you one."

"Speaking of later, I almost forgot," Casey said. "Chuck wants us to help him mess with Sarah."

Well those were the magic words. Carina's eyes lit up. "How so?" she asked.

That got Casey laughing. "I thought that would get your attention," he said. "Chuck wants us to convince Sarah that we are serious. She doesn't think that it's possible that you are serious. Chuck bet her that you could be. He wants you to pretend."

Carina was quiet for a long moment. "Do I have to pretend?" she finally asked softly.

That was the last thing Casey expected her to say. "Carina," he asked. "What are you saying?"

That got back a little of Carina's smile. "Don't freak out," she said. "I'm not pulling your leg. I guess I'm saying that I'm tired. I'm tired of lying to everyone. I'm tired of not having anyone be able to trust me. I'm tired of being alone."

Casey realized that she was being serious. "Are you sure that you're not competing with Sarah?" he asked. "That you don't want her to be ahead of you in the relationship race? You two are pretty competitive."

Carina looked at him. "At first," she admitted. "I'll admit. I was jealous of Sarah. I've never seen a person change as dramatically as she has. Sarah always had a sad aura about her. Now she looks like her feet aren't touching the ground. I guess I wanted that same feeling for a while."

"Carina," Casey sighed. "I don't think that you and I can ever have what Chuck and Sarah have. I'm surprised. Are you saying that you're tired of being an agent?"

"No way," Carina said firmly. "I'm still driven to be an agent. That's one reason why I think that we're perfect for each other. You understand what I have to do as an agent and can separate it from our personal feelings. Chuck will never be able to do that with Sarah. Her days of being an effective agent are over."

Casey paused for a long moment. "So you're saying that you're in love with me?" he asked.

That got Carina's grin back. "Relax," she said. "I'm not looking for some sappy, romantic scene. I don't even know what love is. The truth is that I don't know what this is. I am in something with you. Look, we both know that you're physically attracted to me. I've used that against you. I could seduce you pretty much any time I wanted. I've played a lot of games with you."

Casey nodded in agreement.

"Here is my promise," Carina continued. "The games are over. I can promise you that you'll be the one person in the world who can trust me. I want to be the one person that can trust you. Is that love? You tell me."

Casey looked at her carefully. "It might be the closest thing that two agents can honestly have," he admitted. "What about the time apart? I can't leave Chuck and Sarah's side. How would we handle that?"

Carina sighed. "Let's put all of our cards on the table," she said. "I can adjust my schedule. I think I can make it out to you at least a weekend a month. I'll try for more but I'm trying to be honest with you here. Last week, I would have batted my eyes at you and made you believe that it wouldn't be a problem. Now, I'm looking you in the eye and asking you to help me. Be there for me. The only thing I can promise in return is I'll be there for you."

"I don't know," Casey protested with a grin. "I was sort of liking the seduction game."

Carina wrapped her arms around him. "Here's the truth," she said. "For the past week, it hasn't been a game. We've had lots of sex. Let me know when you're ready to make love."

"I promise I'll be ready too."

x-x-x-x-x

When Chuck and Sarah arrived outside the restaurant, Casey and Carina were already waiting for them. "I'm sorry we're late," Sarah said. "We had a situation we had to take care of."

Casey looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Tell me," he said. "Did this situation have anything to do with playing scrabble, by chance?"

"Scrabble?" Sarah asked. "What is this about scrabble?"

Before Chuck could explain the inside joke, Carina grabbed Sarah by her hand and pulling her out of earshot. She began whispering in Sarah's ear. As they were talking, Chuck turned to Casey and took a shot. "Sarah can just never get enough of that game," he said.

Suddenly Chuck heard Sarah exclaim, "Oh my God. No freaking way."

Chuck stepped over to them. "What's up?" he asked.

Sarah was laughing helplessly. "Chuck," she was finally able to get out. "I can't believe it. You won the bet."

"Casey and Carina just got married."

x-x-x-x-x


	7. Wagging the Dog

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _One of the things about this story that seems out of place is the idea that Casey and Carina could be a couple. At the time, the show sorta implied that there was something between them. She left him tied to his bed in a compromised position. Now that pairing seems awkward. Later in my stories, I always invented an original character for Casey who was sorta based upon Carina but also different._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Wagging the Dog**

x-x-x-x-x

The girls decided to go dancing at the MGM Grand, which was only a short walk across the street and an even shorter monorail ride away. The truth was that Chuck was having a hard time relaxing. Sarah had gotten so excited hearing the news about Casey and Carina, she couldn't think of much else. The last thing that Chuck wanted to tell her was that it was all a setup. Not only would he lose their bet, he would likely end up in the doghouse for an extended period.

And what was with Casey and Carina? They had to be the best actors in the world. If they could fool a skeptical Sarah, they were good… too good. Chuck knew it was probably not real, and even he wasn't sure. Chuck was torn between cutting his losses and telling Sarah that he had conspired to set this up or letting her get more and more excited. He decided it would be a good idea to talk to Casey alone and get his advice. But it was also becoming very clear that he would have a huge problem getting Casey alone. Carina was hanging on him like a bulldog on a T-bone steak.

As expected, they had no problem getting into the club. Of course, there was a long line but one look at Sarah and Carina got them inside quickly. Thankfully, as soon as they were comfortably sitting at the table, Sarah turned to Chuck. "Order me a drink, will you sweetie?" she asked. "We need to use the ladies room."

Chuck breathed a sigh of relief. At least he would get to talk to Casey. "Let me guess," he said. "A Mai Tai, right?"

"What else would I be drinking?" Sarah asked playfully over her shoulder as they walked away.

Chuck waited until the girls were out of sight. "What's up with you and Carina?" he asked. "You know that Sarah is totally buying it, right?"

Casey obviously didn't see the problem. "Hey," he grunted. "You wanted us to be serious. We're being serious. What's the problem?"

Just then a waitress walked up to take their drink orders. "I never said anything about getting married," Chuck said when the waitress left. "Do you know how pissed Sarah is going to be at me when she figures this out?"

Casey grinned. "You probably should have thought about that before you set her up," he said. Then he saw the look of devastation. "Don't worry, kid," he said. "Maybe she'll never find out. Blame Carina. It was sort of her idea."

Just then the girls returned. Chuck didn't let Sarah even sit. He grabbed her hand and led her out of earshot. "I have a confession to make," he said.

Sarah didn't let him finish. "I know," she said. "Carina told me all about it."

Chuck's face fell. So much for trying to blame Carina. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't blame you for being mad."

If Sarah was mad, she had a peculiar way of showing it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed for everything she had. "You're such a good guy," she said. "You can't even cheat on a silly bet without feeling guilty. Chuck, why are you so perfect? It makes me feel inadequate."

Chuck certainly wasn't prepared for this turn of events. He really didn't know what to say. At least he was probably spared from an extended stay in her dog house. That was good. It probably wasn't a good time to say something stupid and grasp defeat out of the jaws of victory. So he just wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight.

Sarah pulled back a little from her deadly embrace and flashed a grin. "Let me explain something to you," she said. "These bets are a game… nothing more. The rules are… there are no rules. Let that sink in. There are no rules. It's not a place for nice guys. To be competitive, you're going to have to check your ethics at the door. So if you can trick me into a sucker bet, nothing off color intended, you should do it and not feel any guilt. Let's understand each other. I'm competitive. I'm always going to want to win this game between us. When I do win, I'm going to collect in full. I was easy on you last time. I'm probably not going to feel quite so generous in the future. But part of wanting to win is being a good sport when you lose. So, congratulations."

Chuck was confused. "But I lost," he protested. "You won if you could get Carina to admit that she wasn't serious."

Sarah shook her head. "All Carina admitted was that you conspired to set me up," she explained. "She really is getting serious. I don't know where it's going. She doesn't even know. But I've never seen her like this. I'm happy for her. I'm happy for Casey. But I'm even happier for you. It turns out that you won fair and square. For the next twenty-four hours, I'm your eager toy. I'll be… well, mad isn't the right word… but disappointed if you don't take full advantage. So what is your first command? Do you want to go back to our room and see my birthday suit? We can go dancing another night. Or do you want to parade your blonde conquest around the club for a while? What is your first demand?"

Chuck couldn't help the silly grin that was spreading across his face. She wasn't kidding at all. In fact, she was looking forward to this more than he was. He could already feel her tell poking into his chest. "I think we'll stay for a while," he said. Her light purple satin blouse wasn't exactly transparent… but. He playfully popped open the top button, then a second one. "That's a very sexy outfit," he said. "But don't you think it would be even sexier without the bra? Especially given your current state. The boys at the Orange Orange shouldn't have all the fun, should they?"

Sarah was stunned that his first demand would be something that bold. She would never dress this skimpily when she was with Chuck… out of respect. He had to know that this blouse would cling to her like it was spray painted on, didn't he? The two buttons he had undone had her displaying some serious cleavage as it was. Without the bra, she'd be bouncing all around the dance floor, quite literally. She would have the honest attention of every man in the place… and some of the women. Maybe she was surprised but wonderfully so. She was so aroused that you'd be able to see her poking through from outer space. "Yes, sir," she said cheerfully. "Can I go to the ladies room? Or do you want me to take it off right here?"

Chuck knew that she was bluffing. He paused a moment to consider the question. He stroked his chin in thought until he could see her eyes widen in surprise. "You can go to the ladies room," he finally said. "We'll save that show for the next time I need to make a point to you."

So now, Sarah wasn't sure if he was teasing or not. She would have bet a lot that he wouldn't have gone even this far. This was going to be a very exciting night. "Yes, sir," was all she could get out.

"While you're gone, maybe I'll dance with the newest bride in the room," Chuck said. "Do you mind?"

Sarah shook her head. Given Casey's personality, Chuck would be dancing with Carina many times tonight. "It doesn't matter if I mind," she teased. "You're in charge tonight, remember?"

"While we're gone, try not to give Casey a heart attack by pointing those lasers directly at him," Chuck teased. "You could put out an eye with those things."

That got Sarah laughing. The fact was that she was going to fully use her new appearance to have some fun at Casey's expense. It was only fair after all the shots he took at her. "I'll try," she said. "As far as Carina…"

"Dance her brains out."

x-x-x-x-x

Carina was clearly ready to do her part when Chuck asked her to dance. "Sure," she said. "I'm pretty sure that you're the only person I'm actually going to get to dance with tonight, right, John?"

Casey was non-committal. "I'm not sure," he growled. "How much scotch do you think they have here?"

Carina grabbed his hand and started to lead him to the floor. "Where's Sarah?" she asked.

Chuck didn't know how much Carina knew… and playing dumb was a talent he had honed. "She's fixing her shirt," he said.

Carina started laughing. "Collecting your winnings already?" she asked. She's not going to get us tossed out of here, is she?"

"I'm not sure yet," Chuck answered. "She told me to tell you to make sure to keep your hands where she can see them at all times."

Carina started laughing even harder. "That wouldn't really be dancing," she teased. "Would it?"

As they reached the dance floor Carina tried to wrap he arms around Chuck's neck. When she realized that Chuck was too tall for her, she settled for his waist and put her head on his chest. As they swayed to the music, Carina leaned into him. "So how do you like married life?" she asked.

There was only one possible answer to that question. It was magical. "I love it," he said. "You?"

Carina was a little coyer. "I've only been married for four hours," she said. "I don't know yet… but so far so good."

"I hope that you know what you're doing," Chuck said. "Sarah's buying this. If she finds out that you're messing with her, there'll be hell to pay. And I'm the one who's going to have to write the check."

Carina grinned. "Don't worry about that," she said. "If you're going to worry about something, worry about this." She pulled Chuck's head toward hers and gave him a brief open mouthed kiss.

It was good advice. Sarah was sitting at the table watching them. "Carina," Chuck hissed. "Why would you do that to me? Need I remind you that your husband and my wife just saw that? Either one who could kick my ass from here to Sunday? I can't even imagine what they could do to me if they teamed up."

That got Carina laughing. "Stop worrying," she teased. The song was over and they walked back to the table. "I'm just messing with her. Didn't you want to kiss the bride?"

As they arrived back at the table, Chuck tried to repair the damage. "Okay," he said as he extended his hand to Sarah. "Now that I've danced with the newest bride, how about I dance with my bride?"

Sarah really didn't answer. She just grabbed his offered hand and followed him to the dance floor. "Okay," she said sternly. "You won the bet. You're calling the shots. I get that there aren't any rules. But are you sure that you really want to involve other people in our sex life? I'm going to win again someday."

Chuck looked at her in horror. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said. "I had no idea she was going to kiss me. She's just messing with you. The last thing that I would ever want is to involve other people in our sex life. Please don't be mad at me."

Sarah started laughing. "Chuck, I'm teasing you," she said. "For the record, there is a rule against suggesting that we involve other people in our sex life… punishable by slow horrible death."

Chuck looked at her. She was laughing. But she also wasn't teasing a bit. "Agreed," he said.

That got Sarah laughing harder. "Sweetie, relax," she said. "I'm not mad at you. I'm still teasing. You wanting to cheat on me isn't remotely possible, especially with Carina. We've already proven that rather conclusively. I don't fear it at all. I'm just going to show her what a real kiss looks like." With that she took Chuck's head and pressed her lips to his. Chuck could feel Sarah's mouth open to his. He surrendered totally to the passionate kiss. After about a minute the kiss finally broke.

"Wow," Chuck said as they started dancing. "You're just trying to get me to go back to our room. I'm on to you, missy. While I'm thinking about it, dressed like that, you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen. What did Casey say?"

Sarah was still laughing helplessly. "You mean undressed like that, don't you?" she teased. "I don't think Casey can speak. If his face got any redder, it would have set off the fire alarms."

After that, everybody relaxed and had a good time. Carina even got Casey on to the floor a few times. Her usual tactic was to threaten to dance with Chuck again, with the implied threat of leaving him alone with Sarah… and her lasers. That usually worked. Plainly, Sarah was the highlight of the room… even more than most rooms. She had to spend a fair amount of time turning down potential suitors. But she had fun waiving her new wedding ring in their faces. Even better, they hadn't paid for a drink all night.

As they were walking back to the hotel, they passed the fountains. "We have to stay for a minute and watch this show," Sarah insisted. "This is the most romantic spot on earth."

Well, romance probably wasn't the best argument to make to Casey, but they stayed and watched the show. Sarah and Chuck were in a tight embrace. Carina was standing next to Casey with her head on his shoulder. Even Casey had his arm around her. As the music ended, Chuck and Sarah kept their embrace enjoying the moment while waiting for the crowd to thin. When they finally broke, Chuck and Sarah started to walk hand in hand. Casey and Carina were behind them. Chuck turned his head towards them. "Well, Carina," he said. "What did you think?"

Chuck would never find out what Carina felt about the romantic show. Before she could answer, he locked eyes with a man about thirty yards behind them. As usual, the flash happened without warning. Chuck, being in an awkward position to begin with, almost fell to the ground.

Carina rushed up to him. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You've had a lot to drink. Maybe you should sit down for a second."

Of course, Sarah knew what Chuck looked like when he flashed. "Did you just flash?" she whispered. "What is it?"

"Sarah," Chuck whispered in a panic. "There are two Fulcrum agents following us."

Of course that could only mean one thing. They both instantly jumped to the only possible conclusion. "Chuck," Sarah whispered. "Calm down. Kiss me."

"What?" Chuck asked.

Sarah was instantly in agent mode. "Put your arms around me and kiss me," she insisted. "Don't look at them. Don't give away that you've identified them."

It wasn't a request or a suggestion. It was an order. "Yes, ma'am," Chuck replied. He warped his arms around her and kissed her hard.

"What's up?" Casey asked when he and Carina caught up with them.

"Two Fulcrum agents following us," Chuck hissed. "About thirty yards behind. One is in a light blue golf shirt. The other is right next to him in a red golf shirt."

"Roger," Casey replied. "I've got them."

"What are we going to do?" Chuck asked.

Sarah was taking charge. "First off," she said softly. "Keep smiling. Relax. Don't give us away. Kiss me again."

"Do you really think that is going to help me relax?" Chuck asked.

"Maybe not," Sarah admitted. "But it will help me relax."

"Wait a minute," Carina interrupted. "Are we sure about this? How does Chuck know that these guys are Fulcrum?"

It was a good question. Carina wasn't cleared to know about the Intersect. Fortunately Chuck was ready. "I recognized them from the raid the other night," he explained. "I'm sure. They must have escaped along with Steve Jones."

Carina nodded. "Okay," she said. "What's the plan? Should we take them here?"

Casey shook his head. "They don't know that we've made them," he said. "Let's use that and see what they're up to. We're assuming that they are after the girls. There are two of them so I'm guessing they will stay with them. Walker, you take Chuck back to our hotel and play some slots for a while. Keep an eye on your buddy. Carina and I will go across the street. I'm guessing that one of our new friends will follow us. If that happens, I'll leave Carina in the casino. Hopefully her guy will stay with her. I'll double back and tail your guy. Let's see what happens when they have a shift change. We'll hook up later in our room."

Chuck was having a hard time fighting down the panic. He was used to bad guys wanting to hurt them… but it was usually him they were after. This time it was Sarah. That made it different. "What if they attack here?" he asked.

Sarah leaned over and kissed him again. "Don't worry," she said. "They're not going to attack us in the middle of the crowed strip. They're just keeping track of us."

"They didn't just stumble onto us," Casey added. "They've been following us since we've been here. Let's figure out what their plan is."

"You really need to relax," Sarah said. "We've been in lots of worse situations. Whenever you get tense just reach over and kiss me. We are on our honeymoon after all."

"Good luck," Carina said. She leaned in to hug Sarah. "This is like old times. We'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Old times?" Sarah asked. "In that case, try and keep your dress on." She laughed at her look. "Be careful."

"Careful?" Carina asked sarcastically. "Come on, blondie. You know better than that. Being careful gets you killed."

As the two couples split up Sarah could tell that, sure enough, one of the men stayed with them and the other followed Casey and Carina.

"Are you ready to play?" Sarah asked.

"I'm scared," Chuck answered.

"I know," Sarah said. "We've been in way more dangerous situations than this before. Thanks to our amazing Intersect, we have surprise. Even better, they think they have surprise. That gives us the upper hand."

Chuck knew all of those things. He was with three of the top agents in the world. "I know," he sighed. "But all of those other times, they were after me. This time they're after you. I can't stand the thought of someone wanting to hurt you."

In spite of the tense situation, Sarah couldn't help the smile. How sweet was that? "The best way to stop them," she said. "Is by letting Casey do his job. We need to act like we're having a good time. Don't worry. I'm going to be all over you tonight. Thanks to your foresight, I'm even dressed for the part. I bet I can make you forget about them."

"I don't know how to tell you how much I love you," Chuck said softly.

"You don't have to tell me," Sarah answered. "I already know. I feel the same exact way. Let's go have a good time. Maybe we'll win something."

"My luck," Chuck grumbled. "We'll win two all expenses paid trips to Forrest Lawn."

x-x-x-x-x

As Casey and Carina entered the Paris casino, they could both tell that one of the men had followed them. Casey led Carina to a group of slot machines in the middle of the room. "How much cash do you have?" he asked.

"Six or seven hundred," Carina replied. "Why?"

"You're going to have to stay here playing until they change shifts," Casey replied. "I hope you don't run out of money."

Carina was always prepared. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I have my debit card. If I run out of that, I'll just pick up one of these rich gentlemen."

Casey laughed. "I'm sure," he said. "Do you have a weapon?"

Carina grinned at him. "You know better than that," she said. "I always have a weapon. I hope this bastard does try something. He's screwing up my wedding night. I'd love to shoot him between the eyes."

"Be careful," Casey said. "I love you."

That got Carina laughing. "Really?" she asked. "What brought that on?"

Casey shrugged his shoulders. "It is our wedding night," he explained. "It seemed like the thing to say."

That got Carina laughing even harder. "Don't go getting all emotional with the lady feelings," she said. "You won't want to shoot this bastard when the time comes."

Casey smiled as he turned to leave. "No chance of that happening," he said.

"Casey," Carina called softly. When he turned to face her, she threw herself into his arms. "You be careful."

"I love you too."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah weren't having much luck at the slots. Sarah was trying to calm Chuck's anxiety… which was no easy task. "Damn, sweetie," she said as she planted a kiss on his ear. "What is it going to take for you to relax? Do I have to seduce you right here in the middle of the casino?"

Chuck knew that challenging her wasn't very smart. But this seemed like the time. "It wouldn't hurt," he teased. "I did just win a bet. Where did your high-beams go? That might make me forget our troubles for a while. Besides, their disappearance might make our new friend here suspicious. Maybe you should… um… get them back."

That actually got Sarah laughing out loud. "I want you relaxed," she teased. "Not comatose. Besides that, our tail here would forget that he's supposed to change shifts. He would never leave. Poor Casey would be waiting forever. I think that's it better all the way around if we call time out on the bet thing and you wait and collect later. I promise that you're not going to get cheated out of seeing the high-beams."

Just then Sarah noticed another man approach the Fulcrum agent. "Chuck," she whispered. "Another man just arrived. I think it is time for their shift change. Put your arms around me and hide your face in my hair. See if you flash on him."

Sure enough, Sarah could tell by the tenseness in Chuck's body that he had flashed. "Yup," he whispered. "He's Fulcrum. They've changed shifts. Can we go upstairs now?"

"In a minute," Sarah said. "Let's give him a chance to get out of sight so the new guy has something to watch for a few minutes just to make sure he doesn't surprise Casey. Kiss me."

Chuck smiled at his wife. "Still trying to calm me?" he asked. "I think I'm pretty calm."

"Not this time," Sarah teased. "This time it's just for fun."

"We are on our honeymoon."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey had circled back to the Bellagio and was watching the Fulcrum agent who was tailing Sarah when he saw the shift change. Casey followed him to the main entrance. The Fulcrum agent got into a grey Camry and started to drive away. Casey quickly hopped into a cab. "Here's two hundred dollars," he said to the driver. "See that grey Camry? I want to follow him without being seen. There's another two hundred for you if we succeed."

The driver didn't ask any questions. This was Sin City… the place where enough money could buy almost anything. "Yes, sir," he said. "This is Vegas. Money talks."

They followed the car to a house about ten minutes from the strip. As the Camry pulled into a driveway, Casey instructed the driver to keep going. "Wait until we are out of sight," Casey told him. "Then pull in a driveway."

Again, the driver didn't ask any questions. "Yes, sir," was all he said.

Casey handed the driver two, one hundred dollar bills. "Turn off your lights," he said. "I'll be gone about twenty minutes. Wait for me and take me back to the hotel and you'll get another two hundred."

This cab driver couldn't believe his good luck. He was about to make a week's wages in an hour. "Anything you say," he said.

Casey left the cab and walked towards the house. When he got two houses away, he went to the back yard and approached the house from the rear. He crept silently up to a window and opened it. He instantly recognized his former commanding officer, Steve Jones' voice.

"Are we ready?" Jones asked.

"Yes, sir," was the reply. "Our men arrived from Denver about an hour ago. We have eleven agents in place now."

"Excellent," replied Jones. "When can we grab Walker's boyfriend?"

"We'll grab him the next chance we get, sir," replied the agent. "Walker doesn't let him out of her sight very much. She must have it bad."

"Okay," Jones replied. "Grab him as soon as you can without causing a scene. Then use him to get Walker here."

"Yes, sir," came the reply. "What about the other two?"

Jones thought about it for a moment. "Send four men," he ordered. "Take then out into the dessert. Shoot the man. You can have some fun with Miller if you'd like. Then shoot her. Make sure the bodies are found in interesting positions. I want those assholes in Washington to know what happens when they mess with me."

"Yes, sir," replied the agent. "Consider it done."

"I don't have to remind you how much I want this," Jones said, the smile in his voice plain. "This Walker is going to be very sorry she messed with me. The show she's going to put on to save her friend will be legendary."

"Even for Vegas."

x-x-x-x-x

When Casey finally got back to the hotel room, the gang was waiting for him. Carina threw her arms around Casey. "How did it go?" Carina asked.

"Some good, some bad," Casey said. "First the good news. I was able to tail then to their hideout. I was able to hear their conversation through the window. I know what they're planning to do."

"So what's the bad news?" Sarah asked.

Casey paused for a moment. "There's some," he admitted. "They have eleven men, including Steve Jones. They are planning on grabbing Chuck and using him as leverage against Walker. Walker, this Steve Jones wants you bad. Not just to kill you but to humiliate you. He wants you to surrender to him so he can possess you. They're just planning to kill Carina and me. He wants to really mess with you."

"You mean he doesn't want me?" Carina asked. "What's wrong with me anyway?"

That got Casey smiling. "Don't worry," he said. "They are sending four men after us. He told them that they could have some fun with you. Before they kill you, that is."

Carina returned his smile. "Well," she said. "I guess that's something anyway."

Chuck wasn't in any mood to joke about this. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "We just can't sit here and wait for them to kill Sarah. Can't we run? You know where their hideout is. Maybe Beckman can take care of it."

Sarah shook her head. "We're being watched," she said. "Even if we did manage to escape, they would know and find us. Next time they wouldn't be surprised. We can't contact Beckman. We're off the grid. I'm afraid we're going to have to deal with this on our own." She paused for a moment. "They want me and Carina," she said. "Casey, take Chuck and head home. Carina and I will take the car and run for it. They'll follow us and you can get away."

Chuck turned to Sarah angrily. "Don't you dare even think like that," he said. "Now I'm officially pissed. We're a team. We fight as a team. We live as a team. If it comes to that, we die as a team."

"Chuck," Sarah sighed. "Don't be pissed. Right now, I'm your bodyguard. I'm just exploring options. We need to protect you."

"Actually," Casey said. "For once, I agree with Chuck. That's not going to happen. We'll stay and fight."

Carina turned to Chuck. "If you want to fight," she said softly. "You'll have to be strong. That's the only way we can win. The only way you can help Sarah is by being mentally strong."

Chuck nodded. "I'll do what I have to do," he said.

"Good," Casey said.

"Now that that's settled, I have a plan."

x-x-x-x-x


	8. For Better or For Worse

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **For Better or For Worse**

x-x-x-x-x

One of the first things that Sarah and Carina did while Casey was gone last night was to sweep for bugs. It wouldn't be at all unusual for Fulcrum to have bugged their rooms. Surprise was their one asset. Fulcrum thought that they were unaware that they were in danger. Fortunately, both sweeps came back clean. At least they could talk openly. The agents rarely even came up to their floor. They were staking out the lobby. Then again, where could they go?

Chuck and Sarah were in their room. Last night, they had agreed that they would execute Casey's plan the next evening as soon as it was dark. Casey though it was best if they just stayed in their rooms until it was time to go. There was no sense in taking any chances… and both couples were supposed to be on their honeymoon anyway. They decided to get some rest and order room service for the day so they would be fresh when the fighting started. They were supposed to be getting some sleep but that had proved futile. After a few restless hours they found themselves wide awake, starring into each other's open eyes.

"I'm really pissed at you," Chuck finally said softly.

It was the last thing Sarah expected him to say. She lifted her head off the pillow to look at him. "Why?" she asked.

"We took some vows a couple of days ago," Chuck said softly. "Those were the most important words that I've ever said in my life. I meant them with every fiber of my being. Why didn't you?"

Sarah just looked at him for a long while. Was he really saying that she didn't mean her wedding vows? "Chuck," she said. "I meant them too. Why do you think that I didn't mean them? Why would you say something like that? That was a horrible thing to say."

Chuck shook his head firmly. "One of those vows was For Better or For Worse," he insisted. "For Worst means For Worst… together. I meant that. I can't have you wanting to sacrifice yourself every time worst shows up. Especially since worst has a nasty habit of showing up for us, a lot. I want you to mean that vow."

"Chuck," Sarah said, trying to blink away the tears that were forming. "Be reasonable. I'm a CIA agent. Yes, they're after me. But only because they don't know who you really are. If they found out, they would lose all interest in me. My first job is to make sure that you're safe."

Chuck continued to shake his head. "No way," he said. "That was Agent Walker's job. But the moment you took those vows, you stopped being Agent Walker. You became Sarah Bartowski. And her first job became being my wife… being the love of my life… the mother of my children. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Sarah didn't trust herself to speak without her voice breaking. She simply nodded.

Chuck pulled her in close. "I know that Agent Walker always thought it was her duty to take a bullet for me," he continued. "I've never liked that thought. But now I'm furious. How could you possibly think that I could go on living knowing that you sacrificed yourself for me?"

Sarah opened her mouth to speak but no words would come.

"I couldn't you know?" Chuck continued. "Being the Intersect is tough. Things are going to be hard. I get that. There are a lot of dangerous situations we're going to find ourselves in. We're fighting for the right to have a normal life. At best, you're going to have to do things that a husband won't like. Maybe something very bad is even going to happen. But if it does, it'll happen to us together. I never, ever want to hear you talk about sacrificing yourself again. I can live with a lot of things. But I can't live with that. That would be worse than dying myself. Do you understand?"

Yes, he was being stern with her. He wasn't kidding a bit. He was visibly angry at her. Yet Sarah had never felt closer to him. She put her head on his chest. "You're right," she admitted. "I want you to know that I meant those vows too. When things get tough, I fall back into Agent Walker. I have to figure out how to stop doing that. I fully understand what my first job is. Please forgive me. It won't ever happen again."

Chuck pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "It's funny," he said. "I'm the luckiest man in the world. I got the most amazing person on the planet to fall in love with me. We've been married for a couple of wonderful days. If Fulcrum kills me tonight, if I get hit by a bus next month, or if I live seventy more years, I'll die happy."

Sarah probably never needed to hear anything like she needed to hear that. "How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?" she asked. "I understand what you're saying. I agree with all of it. I'm just not ready for it to end. It's too wonderful. I've spent all of those years as half a person. Now that I have you, Fulcrum is not taking that away from me. Agent Walker was a badass. But they ain't seen nothing yet. Sarah Bartowski is about to open a can of whoop ass right on their heads. Promise me that you'll do what it takes to fight them tonight."

"I promise," Chuck said. "Those bastards aren't cheating me out of collecting my bet winnings. Do you think we have a chance?"

In spite of the tense situation, Sarah grinned at him. "I do," she said. "This is a bad situation. We're going to be outnumbered four to one. But we do have surprise on our side. Casey and Carina are almost as badass as I am. I think that we have a good chance as long as we stick to the plan. So, am I forgiven? I'm willing to give you an extra day to make up for it."

"Are we bartering sex already?" Chuck asked. "We've only been married for two days." He saw the troubled look on her face. "If we are, I think two days would be better. It was a pretty big screw up."

Sarah couldn't keep in the wet laugh. It was the most amazing thing. They were facing a life or death battle in a few hours. They might not win. Even if they did win, some serious sacrifices would be made… sacrifices that a marriage didn't need. But he could always make her laugh helplessly. The fact was, he didn't need two days. He had a lifetime of them already banked up to use anytime he wanted. "Deal," she said. "After this is over, I'm your toy for two full days. Let's talk about something happier. What do you want to do when we get back home?"

Chuck just looked at her. What could be happier than having the most beautiful woman in the world eagerly serving him for two days? But he understood what she meant. "Where is home?" he asked.

Sarah grinned. "Exactly," she said. "That's one of the things we should talk about."

Chuck thought about it. They had been spending all their time in Sarah's hotel room. That really wasn't suitable to live in full time. "Well," he said. "You are rich. Maybe we could buy a house?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "You just got pissed at me for forgetting my vows," she said. "Now it's my turn. You just did the same thing. One of those vows was For Richer or Poorer. I'm not rich. We're rich. Say it with me. We're rich."

Chuck had no choice but to agree. "We're rich," he admitted. "Touché. You're absolutely right. I just did the same thing. I'm sorry. Do I owe you two days of boy toy?"

That got them both laughing. "Maybe we don't have the perfect marriage after all," Sarah said. "We both forgot our vows on the second day."

"It's embarrassing," Chuck agreed. "Let's make a deal. We'll forget it ever happened. Deal?" He held out his hand.

"Deal," Sarah agreed as she took Chuck's hand and shook it. "Now back to the question. What are we going to do?"

Chuck considered the question. "It really doesn't matter," he said. "No matter where we live, you're going to be spending the first week or so pealing Ellie off your neck. The girl loves to hug."

Sarah smiled and nodded. He was right. "I'm actually really looking forward to that," she said. "I want to work on getting closer to Ellie. I'm hoping that she will teach me to cook. Do you think that she would?"

Chuck nodded. There wasn't much that Sarah could do to get closer to Ellie than to ask her to teach her to cook. "I'm sure she would," he said. "Ellie really loves you. Even when we were fake, she was always telling me that she knew that you loved me. Do you want to me to ask her for you?"

Sarah shook her head. That was something she needed to do herself. "No, thanks," she said. "I'll ask her. So what after that week long hug?"

Chuck paused for a moment. "We really can't make too many plans until we deal with the Intersect issue," he said. "After that, I would really like to finish my degree. Do you think that the CIA could get me un-expelled from Stanford?"

Sarah thought for a moment. The truth was, Chuck didn't need his degree… not for a job anyway. They already had more than enough money to live comfortably for several lifetimes. But it would do his self-esteem some good. "I'm sure they could," she said. "I've already had a conversation with Beckman about it. But don't you think you could pick another school?"

Chuck didn't expect her to say that. "Why?" he asked. "All of my credits are at Stanford. If I transferred to another school, it would be a hassle getting them all. They never all seem to transfer. Besides, I'm almost done. I'm familiar with the campus. You'll love it. What's the problem with Stanford?"

Sarah looked away. "I'm just worried," she said. "There might be too many unhappy memories there. Wouldn't you like to start fresh at another school?"

Chuck could tell that she wasn't telling him everything. He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "Sarah?" he asked. "What aren't you telling me?"

Sarah sighed. Trying to hide something from Chuck was foolish. "Please, don't be mad at me," she said. "A couple of weeks ago, I had Casey do some checking on Jill. Do you know that she's a professor at Stanford?"

Chuck grinned. He knew where this was going. It was cute. "I didn't," he said. "Good for her. She always wanted to be a math teacher. But I don't see the problem. It's a big campus."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm afraid there's more," she said. "I'm not totally sure but I think in order to graduate, you'd have to pass her math class."

That got Chuck grinning even more. "So," he said. "Sarah, are you jealous?"

Sarah could feel the blush running up her neck at being called out so convincingly. There was no point in denying it. "Yes," she admitted. "I'm jealous. I don't want you to be around Jill… especially not as your professor."

Chuck knew that he probably shouldn't rub this in very much. He just couldn't help it. "Sarah," he said. "That's so cute. But it's also crazy. Jill has absolutely no attraction for me. If I were to say anything to her, relationship wise, it would be to thank her for dumping me. Don't you trust me? What have I ever done to make you not trust me?"

Sarah cocked her head. "I trust you," she insisted. "So let me get this straight. You wouldn't mind me taking a CIA class for four months that Bryce was teaching?"

Wow. Talk about a good comeback. Chuck didn't see that one coming at all. His grin faded and his face turned red. "You're right," he admitted. "I wouldn't like that at all."

So now it was Sarah's turn to grin and press her advantage. "Why not?" she asked. "Cuteness aside, it would be just as crazy. Do you think that I don't love you as much as you love me? Don't you trust me?"

It was a wise man to recognize defeat. "You're right," he said. "I am horribly guilty of a double standard. I'm sorry. If you don't want me to be around Jill, we'll do something else."

Sarah smiled the smile of victory. "Good answer," she said.

Chuck found that he had one more card left to play. "There is a difference," he said. "I've met Bryce. Wouldn't you at least come to Stanford with me and meet her? That seems only fair. I bet you're dying to check her out anyway. Maybe you'll feel better about it after you talk to her. I'm sure that she's moved on. If, after that, you are not totally comfortable, we'll look for something else. Okay?"

He had a point. "Okay," Sarah agreed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to meet her. You're right about me wanting to check her out."

"I can't wait," Chuck said. "You'll totally intimidate her. Show her your knives. I'll get an A for sure."

"Trust me," Sarah protested. "If I show her my knives, it won't be to get you an A in some stupid math class."

"Please don't take this wrong," Chuck said. "But I can't wait to show my gorgeous new wife off to her. I'm looking forward to rubbing you in her face."

That got Sarah laughing. "That actually sounds kind of kinky," she said. "Are you starting to have fantasies that you're not sharing? Just for the record, Carina and I were just kidding with Jim Smith. We're really not into that sort of thing."

"I didn't mean literally," Chuck protested. "Although, if you dress like you did at the club last night… who knows what will happen?"

That got them both laughing. "We'll see," Sarah teased. "Right now I just want to hold you. I want to memorize what it feels like to have you in my arms so I'll never forget. Would that be okay?"

"Wow," Chuck said. "How could I say no to that?"

"Especially since you asked so nicely."

x-x-x-x-x

In Casey and Carina's room, things were not much calmer. Since neither had been able to get much sleep, Casey had taken to pacing. After a while this was starting to drive Carina crazy. "Please come to bed," she finally said. "You need to get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Casey sighed heavily as he sat down on the bed next to Carina. "I wish we could just get going," he said. "This waiting is driving me crazy."

"Do you think we have a chance?" Carina asked. "I mean, agent to agent. What is your honest professional opinion?"

"It's going to be a tough deal," Casey admitted. "Not counting Bartowski, we're going to be outnumbered like four to one. And Walker is going to be out of commission for part of that. But we do have surprise on our side. And I have seen you in action before. If I do say so, you throw a mean kick. So, all in all, I think we have a decent shot."

"Are you nervous?" Carina asked.

"A little," Casey admitted. "I'm more nervous about what happens after tonight."

Carina wasn't expecting him to say that. "Why are you nervous about that?" she asked.

"I really like this," Casey said. "I'm starting to think that two weekends a month won't be enough. Do you think we can work out more than that?"

Carina looked at his sad face. The truth was she really liked it too. The more time they spent together, the more they clicked. But that wasn't a spy's life. "It would be hard," she said softly. "My assignments are usually for two to six weeks at a time. They're all around the country. What about you? Could you get reassigned?"

Casey shook his head. "I really can't leave Chuck," he said.

"Why?" Carina asked, with probably more frustration in her voice than she intended. "What is so important about Chuck? What is it that you're not telling me?"

Casey shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't tell you. Please don't ask. I can tell you that he's very, very important. In fact, he's more important than the rest of us put together."

Carina was stunned. "Even Sarah?" she asked.

"Yes," Casey said. "Even Walker. Right now, that's all I can say."

"We'll just have to try harder," Carina said. "I'll do my best. Okay?"

Casey smiled back. "Okay," he said. "That helps. Thanks. You remember when you said that when I was ready to make love that you would be too?"

Carina simply nodded.

"Are you ready now?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

x-x-x-x-x

Finally it was time to move. Chuck and Sarah met in Casey and Carina's room to go over last minute instructions. As usual, Casey led the discussion. "Don't forget," he said. "Surprise is our main weapon. If we lose that, we're dead… and I don't mean figuratively."

All three nodded in agreement.

"Chuck, Sarah," Casey continued. "You job is just to survive until we can get there. The more you can distract them, the easier it will make it for us. Any questions?"

"No," both Chuck and Sarah said in unison.

Casey could see that Chuck was freaked out. He put his hand on his shoulder. "Chuck," he said. "When things get bad tonight, remember. We'll be there to get you. Trust me."

Chuck was still freaked out. Of course he trusted Casey. He just nodded.

"You need to be prepared," Carina said. "This is the down side of using seduction tactics. The marks feel that you've challenged their manhood. So when they get control, they have no reason to be nice. Sarah is going to be treated pretty roughly."

Sarah looked at Carina. "Thanks for your help," she sarcastically. "We've already talked about this. Chuck understands that he's going to see some things tonight." She turned to him. "Chuck, you can't go down there looking all nervous. You'll tip them off."

Chuck smiled as much as the tension would allow. "Don't tell me," he said. "Let me guess. Kiss me, right?"

Sarah smiled back. "You're really getting good at this stuff," she said. "When things get bad just keep thinking about tonight when we get back here."

"Is that supposed to make me less nervous?" Chuck teased. "If you're trying to calm me down, you failed miserably."

As soon as they entered the casino, they verified that there were six Fulcrum agents watching them. Sarah gave him one last hug. "It's time, sweetie," she whispered softly. "Don't ever forget that no matter what you see tonight, it's only an act."

"Don't worry about me," Chuck insisted. "Do what you have to do."

"Show time," Sarah said.

Casey just laughed at the look on Chuck's face. "I know. I know."

Chuck turned to Sarah as he walked away. "Someday," he said. "You're going to have to explain to me what that means."

After about ten minutes Sarah's new cell phone rang for the very first time. She could see Chuck's face on the screen. "Hello, sweetie?" she answered. "Do you need something?"

Naturally, the voice wasn't Chuck's. "Agent Walker," he said.

Sarah knew her role. "Sorry," she replied. "There's no one by that name here. You must have a wrong number."

"For your friend's sake," replied the voice. "I hope that's not true. You have five minutes to meet us in the front parking lot. We're in a grey Camry. For every minute it takes you past five, your friend loses a finger. Any questions?"

Sarah knew that this was going to happen. Still anybody threatening to hurt Chuck had her seeing red. "I'll be there," she growled. "If you hurt him, I'll tear you into little pieces… with my teeth."

Of course, he wasn't intimidated. They were holding all the cards. "That actually sounds sexy," the voice continued. "And Agent Walker, please don't insult us by bringing any weapons or tracking devices. It would be a shame to have to strip search you."

Sarah wasn't about to give an inch. "I get it," she replied sarcastically. "Because we're on the strip. Very funny. Don't worry. I'll be there."

"Five minutes," the voice responded as the phone went dead.

"Okay," Sarah sighed.

"They've got Chuck."

x-x-x-x-x


	9. Divide and Conquer

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Divide and Conquer**

x-x-x-x-x

So far, things were going according to plan. Carina was keeping her tail occupied… playing some slots, when Sarah got the call that Fulcrum had Chuck. In order for this to work, Casey had a lot of ground to cover. So he had left them as soon as they entered the casino. All of the Fulcrum agents had stayed with Sarah and Carina except for the two that went to get Chuck. That was just as Casey had anticipated. It was good news. It meant that he wouldn't have to lose them.

There really wasn't any time to lose. Cutting off Chuck's fingers was probably a bluff. But there was no sense in risking it. Carina shot her an encouraging look from across the room. "Be careful," she mouthed.

Sarah was in no mood to screw around. Chuck was in danger. "Screw careful," she told herself. "Be tough. Kick ass."

As soon as Sarah got outside, she spotted the grey Camry. The driver standing outside the car with the door open was one of the Fulcrum agents that had been tailing them. Although the windows were tinted, she could tell that two men were sitting in the back seat. Chuck was sitting directly behind the driver's seat. Next to him was obviously another Fulcrum agent.

When she approached, the driver was all business. That suited Sarah just fine. "Agent Walker," he said. "Get in the front seat."

When Sarah opened the car door, she could see that the Fulcrum agent in the back seat had his gun pointed at Chuck. Chuck appeared surprisingly calm for the circumstance. That was good. "Chuck," she said as she slid into the passenger seat. "Are you okay?"

Naturally, they weren't going to allow them to talk. "Agent Walker," the nameless agent in the back seat said. "Please don't talk unless we are asking you a direct question. I'd hate for this to get more unpleasant than it already is. Understood?"

Sarah told herself to calm down. She was dying to kick that smirk off his face. But in the closed car, she'd stand almost no chance to get to him before he shot Chuck. That wasn't the plan anyway. It didn't mean that she had to be pleasant. "Understood," she growled.

The driver started the car and drove away. As soon as they got about a mile or so off the strip, he pulled into a vacant building's parking lot. "Get out," he said to Chuck.

Chuck got out of the car as did the driver. The driver frisked him and bound his hands behind his back with nylon ties. He then put a hood over his head and pushed him back into the car. All of time he was busy with Chuck, the other agent had his gun visibly pointed at Sarah's head.

As soon as Chuck was back in the car, the agent in the back turned to Sarah. "Your turn," he said.

Sarah got out of the car with the agent. He made her stand facing the car and kicked her feet apart. One after the other he pulled her arms behind her back and, like Chuck, firmly fastened then with nylon ties. Then he pushed her forward. Not having the use of her arms, she was forced to lean against the car while the agent frisked her. The agent was obviously enjoying himself. He paid particular attention to her chest.

Sarah just stood there for a long time and allowed him to grope her. Finally, she had to speak. "Are you checking for lumps?" she asked sarcastically. "Just so you know, I just had my annual checkup. I'm pretty sure that I'm okay. But thanks for your concern. You're being very thorough. You can never be too careful about these things."

If anything, that just got him more obviously groping her. "I just want to feel your nipples get hard," he said. "I saw you at the club last night. Very impressive. I wouldn't mind another look. Maybe sometime tonight, you can give me one."

Sarah's laugh contained absolutely zero humor. "If they do happen to get hard," she replied. "It means I'm probably thinking about what it would feel like to rip out your throat."

After Sarah was back in the car with her hood in place, the driver continued. They drove for about ten minutes and stopped. Chuck and Sarah were led away from the car. They were obviously entering some sort of building. They were quickly pushed down into a chair and the binds that had their arms behind their back were removed. They were replaced by similar ones that secured their arms and legs to the chair.

As soon as the hood was removed from Sarah's head, she quickly surveyed the area. They were obviously in the family room of a ranch style two or three bedroom brick house that was typical in this area. She was tied to a kitchen chair. Chuck was tied to another chair about ten feet away. The room was very sparsely furnished. Except for the chairs and a kitchen table in the dining room, there were only several army style cots. Sarah guessed that the men had been using the room to sleep in for several days. Sarah counted six men. All of them had weapons.

Just then Sarah heard one of the bedroom doors open. When she turned towards the noise she saw Steve Jones enter the room. "Agent Walker," Jones said sweetly with a huge smile.

"How lovely to see you again."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Sarah was out of sight, the four remaining Fulcrum agents approached Carina. "Excuse me, ma'am," one of them said. "We're with the Nevada Gaming Commission. We're investigating some suspicious gaming activity. Would you find if we asked you a few questions? It will only take a moment."

Carina grinned. At least it was a good excuse. These guys screamed agent. "Of course," she said. "I'm always happy to help law enforcement. How can I help you?"

"Perhaps we'd be more comfortable talking about this in a more private area," the agent said. "I'm sure you understand. We don't want to tip off our suspects."

Carina had to give them props. These guys were smooth. "No problem," she said. "Where would you like to go?"

"Please follow us," he replied. They led Carina to the parking garage. As soon as they entered the garage area, he pulled his weapon and pointed it at her. "Agent Miller," he said. "That was too easy."

Carina knew her role. Calling her by her real name would be a tip off. "Oh shit," she exclaimed softly. "Come on guys. I'm sure we can work something out here."

The Fulcrum agent was non-committal. "Maybe," he said. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Carina shrugged her shoulders. "I think that he went over to the Paris casino," she replied nervously. "He wanted to try his luck at blackjack there. He wasn't doing well here so he wanted to change the scenery. I was doing well here."

"Call him," the Fulcrum agent ordered. "Tell him you need him back here. We'll be listening. If you try and tip him off, things will get real ugly. Understand?"

"I understand," Carina nodded as she dialed Casey's cell phone. "Hi, honey," she said. "Listen. I just realized that you have my ATM card. Can you come back and bring it to me."

"I'm sorry. You were just starting to win. I'm such an idiot."

"Sure, fifteen minutes will be okay."

"I love you too."

Carina turned to the Fulcrum agent. "He'll be here in about fifteen minutes," she said.

"Nice work, Agent Miller," he replied. He turned to his fellow agents. "You two go out front and pick him up as soon as he crosses the street. Rick and I will stay here with her and wait for you."

Whoever this guy was, he was clearly in charge. "Yes, sir," the two replied and quickly left.

Casey's plan was working like a charm. Now they were playing on her turf. As soon as the two agents were out of sight, Carina turned to the one in charge and turned on her seductive smile. "Do you think we could make a deal?" she asked.

Chuck apparently wasn't the only one who could play dumb. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Carina had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Look," she said. "I know you guys are pissed at me. I'm a survivor. I just want to live. Do you think that we could work something out? I would make it worth your while."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

Okay. So there was playing dumb. But nobody was this dumb. He just wanted her to say it. So she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. "I rock your world for the rest of the night… and in the morning I just disappear."

"I'm afraid that I'd need more details," the agent taunted.

Before he could react, his partner fell dead with one of Casey's bullets between his eyes. Carina still had a hold of this jerk's hand. She twisted it violently until he fell to his knees. Another of Casey's shots quickly ended his misery. "Nice shooting," she said with a grin. "I was kind of hoping you'd leave the second one to me."

That got Casey laughing. "I think you did enough," he said. "The way you had them panting, I could have snuck up on them with a jackhammer. As long as we're having this discussion, I wouldn't mind hearing more details too."

Carina joined his laughing. "Let's get then in the car," she said. "You only have ten minutes to get over to Paris."

They quickly loaded the bodies into the car. As Casey was set to leave, Carina embraced him. "Be careful," Casey said.

"Screw careful," Carina said. "Be tough. Kick ass."

"Good line," Casey teased.

"Actually," Carina admitted. "I stole it from Sarah."

Casey nodded. "I know," he said.

"I've heard it before."

x-x-x-x-x

Steve Jones walked up to Sarah and removed her gag. He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand. "Agent Walker," he said. "I told you I was looking forward to seeing more of you. Tonight I intend on seeing a lot more of you."

The gloating in his voice had Sarah seeing red for a long moment. But she also knew that the more time she could keep him talking, the better. She attempted to move her face away from his touch. Unfortunately, she was secured so tightly that she didn't have much wiggle room. "I'd be flattered," she said. "If I weren't so nauseous, that is. Do you think you can have one of your men drag that waste can over here in case I have to hurl?"

Sarah knew that taunting this guy would have consequences. Suddenly she felt the back of his hand slap her right cheek. For a moment, her eyes lost focus as she recovered from the blow.

Jones was in complete charge of this situation, and everyone knew it. He had zero reason to take any crap from her. "Agent Walker," he said. "I'm going to have to insist that you address me as sir. It's all of those years in the military. I sort of got used to it. Understand?"

Sarah wasn't going to give an inch unless she had to. Certainly, she wasn't giving this traitor the respect of calling him sir without a fight. She simply looked straight ahead and refused to respond.

Jones raised his hand to hit Sarah again but stopped. "Such a pretty face," he sighed. "It'd be a shame to mess it up. I have plans for that face tonight." Jones then stepped over and threw a savage kick into the side of Chuck's knee. Chuck's cry of anguish was evident through his gag. "Understand?" he asked louder.

Sarah was seething. It was expected that he would use Chuck against her… all part of the plan. But that kick was vicious. Chuck was really hurting. That was the trump card. "Yes, sir," she said. "I understand."

"Good," Jones said, clearly taunting her. "This is quite a mess you've gotten yourself into, isn't it, Agent Walker? Tell me something. What would you do to get out of it?"

Sarah wasn't about to make this easy. "Come off it," she said angrily. "Don't insult me by telling me that there's some way you would let us live… sir."

Jones was enjoying this. She really was a vision… but especially when she was angry. He was toying with her. They both knew it. And yet, she had no choice but to take it. "Actually, you're right," he said. "Agent Walker, I'm sorry to have to say this, but you're going to die tonight. I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I allowed you to live. I'm really going to miss you. I've wanted a shot at you ever since I first heard of you." He paused for a moment. "But your friend here," he continued. "I really don't have anything against him. He seems to be simply a casualty of the situation. I could see a scenario where you could convince me to let him go."

Sarah knew that was coming. Yet, the longer she could stretch out this negotiation, the more time she could give the cavalry to get here and save the day. Maybe she could even stall long enough to save her mission virginity. "Sir," she said. "I might be willing to pay a price for you to let him live. You're right. He is a casualty of an unfortunate situation. I have one problem. With all due respect, why should I trust you?"

Jones really had no reason to rush this. He was holding all of the cards. And getting her honest surrender would be so much more fun. "Several reasons actually," he said. "I understand that we're on opposite sides of this war, but I am still an officer. I have a sense of honor. I still feel that my word means something. The truth is, I have nothing to lose here. But most importantly, look around. You don't really have a choice."

Sarah pretended to consider his words for a moment. "Okay," she said. "What do you want, sir?"

That got Jones laughing. "Agent Walker," he said. "Isn't it obvious? I want you."

Talk about the obvious. Sarah sighed. "I'm listening, sir," she said.

Jones moved in for the kill. "Here's what I propose," he said. "A little later, you take me in the bedroom and give me the full Sarah Walker experience in private. If you can convince me that I've gotten your very best effort, your friend walks. But first, maybe a little public show for the men. It would be good for morale."

Sarah had to fight down the laugh. All these men were the same. What they didn't know was that there really wasn't a 'Sarah Walker experience' to offer him. Outside of the seduction tactics from training, she was pretty inexperienced in the bedroom. And actually, wanting the show was excellent news. If he had demanded the private experience right away, Sarah wouldn't have had much choice but to follow him into the bedroom and make something up. Chuck knew that was a possibility. They had talked about the worst case and what it implied. "You mean like the sicko that just spent ten minutes looking for machine guns inside my bra?" she responded sarcastically. "I'm assuming that his morale is just fine."

Jones grinned. "I apologize, Agent Walker," he said in faux agreement. "Men can be such pigs sometimes, can't they?"

Sarah nodded. The longer she could keep this conversation going, the better. "Maybe you should get them out more, sir," she said. "After all, thanks to your leadership, there's not many of them left. I mean, we are in Vegas. Why don't you take some of your heroin blood money profits and get them laid?"

Jones laughed at her shot. The truth was, she was right. She was going to pay full price. He took his hand and cupped Sarah's left breast over her blouse. "That's a good idea," he said. "Maybe you can help me out there. Frankly, I'm surprised you're even wearing a bra. The men have been telling me all about the show you put on at that club last night. As you can imagine, they are anxious to get a better look."

Sarah glanced at Chuck while Jones continued to taunt her by groping her breast. He was obviously in bad shape. He was shaking his head violently back and forth. Clearly, he was in a panic telling Sarah no. She could hear his moans through his gag. Tears were starting to run down his cheeks. "Okay," she finally sighed. "I'll do what you want. I'll trust you to keep your word under one condition."

"And what's that?" Jones asked.

Sarah made no effort to move away from his hand. "I need to have ten minutes with my husband," she said sadly. "I need to be able to say goodbye to him."

Jones shook his head. "You're really not in a good negotiating position," he replied. "Why should I agree?"

Sarah indicated Chuck with a flip of her head. "Look at him," she said sadly. "If he has to watch me do what you are asking, it will mess him up for the rest of his life. I might as well be merciful and let you kill him now. I need ten minutes to prepare him to live without me." She willed the tears into her eyes. "Please, sir," she continued. "This will cost you nothing. Give me ten minutes and I'll put a smile on my face and willingly do anything you ask, nothing off the table. For the effort I'm about to make, I don't think that's being unreasonable."

Jones thought about it for a minute. "Ten minutes," he finally agreed. "But I want your A-Game later."

Sarah bit her lip to keep from grinning. She nodded through her fake tears. "Trust me," she said. "You're never going to forget tonight."

"As long as you live."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was winded. He had just sprinted as fast as the strip traffic would allow from the Bellagio to the Monte Carlo. He then crossed the street and entered the Planet Hollywood casino. From there he entered the other side of the Paris casino just in time to take the overhead walkway back across the street to the Bellagio. He was actually happy when the men stopped him on the bridge so he could catch his breath. "Excuse me, sir," the Fulcrum agent called to Casey. "Are you a friend of Carina Miller?"

"Never heard of her," Casey replied.

The two agents stepped up to either side of Casey. "That's not what we hear," one said. He opened his jacket a little to show Casey his holstered gun. "If you ever want to see her again, I'd suggest that you come with us."

Casey knew his part. "What trouble has Carina gotten herself into this time?" he asked. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can work this out."

"In Vegas we don't tolerate cheaters," the agent responded. "I'm sure that you can relate. Please come with us and help us convince her of that."

Casey needed to appear cooperative. "Trust me," he said. "Carina's not a bad person. She's just a little wild. Whatever she's done, I'm sure we can resolve this amicably. I'll come with you."

As soon as they entered the parking garage, the Fulcrum agent pulled out his gun and stuck it in Casey's side. "What's going on?" Casey asked. "I said that we would cooperate."

The agent was unmoved. "We're going for a little ride," he said. "I'll let Agent Miller explain it to you."

The Fulcrum agents were obviously very happy. This had gone exactly as they planned. As they approached the car, they could see that Carina was in the back seat. There was an agent sitting on either side of her. One opened the driver's door. "We're back," he said. "That was so easy. These people are professionals? No wonder the CIA is so clueless. Are you ready for some fun?"

He instantly fell dead as Carina's shot hit him square in the chest. "Actually," Carina replied sarcastically. "I think that I am. By the way, not that it matters, you being dead and all… but neither of us is CIA. You're right. They are pretty clueless."

There was still one agent to deal with. Casey grabbed his arm and attempted to wrestle the gun away. Neither man could gain control. As they struggled over the weapon, Carina was trying to make it out of the car past the two dead Fulcrum agents to help him.

Casey was having a hard time. The Fulcrum agent was big, muscular, and fresh. On the other hand, Casey was still a little winded from his recent activities. Finally as they struggled, the Fulcrum agent pushed Casey against the cement wall. All he could see was stars as his head impacted the wall. Dazed, he held on to the arm with the gun as he struggled to clear his head. The Fulcrum agent had a hand free and slugged Casey in the stomach… then again… then yet again. That was too much for Casey as he lost his grip on the arm that held the gun and slumped to the floor. All he could do was look helplessly while his rival raised his gun. Casey closed his eyes as the shot rang out. When he opened them again, he was looking at Carina trying to help him up. "Nice shooting," he said, still trying regain his bearings.

Carina wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I have to be," Casey groaned. "Help me get these bodies in the trunk. We're late."

"We can't be late," Carina said.

"I'd rather face ten more of these guys than have to face Sarah if we're late."

x-x-x-x-x

Jones cut Sarah's binds from the chair. "You have ten minutes," he said. "He stays tied up. We're going to stay in the room but we'll move over to the other side so you can say your goodbyes."

Sarah nodded. "Thank you, sir," she said. "Would it be okay for me to take off his gag, so I can kiss him goodbye?"

Jones grinned. "You really are pushing this aren't you, Agent Walker?" he asked. "What the hell? I expect enthusiasm from you. I trust this will be your last request?"

Sarah simply nodded as she walked up to Chuck. He was in really bad shape. He was near exhaustion from violently shaking his head. Tears were streaming down his face. His eyes were glassy and didn't seem to focus. He was trying to talk through the gag but it only came out as a moan. Sarah stepped directly in front of him and tried to get his attention. "Chuck," she called softly.

When she got no response, she tried again, this time a little louder. "Chuck," she called.

Finally she sat down on Chuck's lap facing him. She straddled him, putting her legs through the arms of the chair. She grabbed Chuck's head with both hands and forced him to look at her. "Sweetie," she said. "Please listen to me."

Sarah could tell that she had gotten through to Chuck because he stopped moaning.

Sarah took a moment to smile at him. "Hi," she said. "I really need you to understand something. I know that we've talked about me not sacrificing myself. That's not what this is."

Chuck eyes told Sarah to continue.

Sarah sat for a moment just looking at him. "We're in a bad situation," she said. "The way I see it either I can die or we both can die. If I could fight, trust me I would. You know that. But please don't make me die knowing that I could have saved you and didn't. I can't do that. Please don't be mad at me."

Chuck simply nodded ever so slightly.

Sarah smiled as she began to whisper in Chuck's ear. As she talked, the sparkle returned to Chuck's eyes. "I'm going to take off your gag," Sarah said. "I want to kiss you goodbye. Please promise me you won't say anything. You don't have to tell me how much you love me. I already know."

Chuck nodded, this time more noticeably as Sarah removed the gag.

Sarah touched her lips to Chuck's, very gently at first, then with more and more passion. Pretty soon they were completely into it. It turned out to be as intense a kiss as they had ever shared.

Finally Steve Jones called out to them. "Time's up," he said.

Sarah grinned at Chuck as she reapplied his gag. When she had finished she whispered softly so that only Chuck could hear.

"Enjoy the show."

x-x-x-x-x


	10. Distractions Can Get You Killed

_I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything._

 _I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old._

 _Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well._

 **Distractions Can Get You Killed**

x-x-x-x-x

In the Bellagio parking garage, Carina and Casey were really struggling to get the bodies of the two dead Fulcrum agents into the car trunk. Casey was still hurting from the blow to the head and the several punches he had taken during the fight. Carina was obviously concerned. When he stumbled to the back of the car and started vomiting, that concern grew into something close to panic. They would be outnumbered three to one as it was. Without Casey, they stood very little chance. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Yes, it was a stupid question. "Does it look like I'm okay?" Casey growled. "It doesn't really matter. We need to get going."

Carina certainly agreed with that. Who knew what Sarah was going through? Well, that was another stupid question. She did know. She opened the driver's door and climbed into the car.

Casey looked at Carina questioningly. "I can drive," he said.

Carina wasn't up for any discussion. Sarah had saved her from this exact fate too many times to count. "Just get in the car," she snapped. "Chuck and Sarah won't be able to last very much longer. We're late already."

"I'll be okay," Casey insisted. "I can drive."

Carina had already started the car. "And you think that I can't?" she growled. "Casey, you're hurt. You need to rest before we get there. Now stop this macho bullshit and get into the fucking car."

There really wasn't much to argue with. Casey had barely closed the car door when Carina threw it in reverse and squealed the tires backing out of the parking spot. As soon as they were clear of the spot, Carina threw the car into drive and spun the tires as she rapidly navigated the narrow parking structure.

Casey didn't have time to put on his seat belt, so he was thrown forward when Carina backed out and violently thrown back into his seat as Carina accelerated. "Would you be careful?" he asked.

"Screw careful," Carina replied through clenched teeth. "Welcome to my world, Casey. If you and I are going forward, there is something you should probably know. I suck at being careful."

"Just hold on."

x-x-x-x-x

After Sarah gave her husband a final hug, she climbed down from his lap and faced Steve Jones. She flashed her best smile at him. "Thank you," she said. "You've kept your word. Now I'm going to keep mine."

Jones smiled at her suggestively. "Don't disappoint us," he said.

"I've never had any complaints," Sarah said confidently. "I just want to make sure that I have your word that you'll let my husband go."

"Agent Walker," Jones said. "We've already been through this. If I get your best effort tonight, I give you my word. Maybe you should keep that in mind as you perform."

Sarah smiled at him. "I'll tell you what," she said. "You're going to get every single thing you deserve tonight. I give you 'my' word. Just sit back and watch it happen." Her smile turned into a grin as she walked to the middle of the room. The seven Fulcrum agents, including Jones were sitting on cots in a circle around the room. Someone was playing some music. That was a good thing. It was a lot easier to dance to music.

There was one good thing about this situation. Chuck would never ask her for a performance like this on his own… he just wouldn't. And sure, there were other men watching. But, like she whispered in his ear just a few minutes ago, she promised, she was performing just for him. She made sure to lock her eyes on his as she danced around the room. Hopefully he was as impressed with her dancing skills as the men clearly were. When she had her blouse unbuttoned, her arousal tell kicked in. She could have sworn he was smiling through the gag. Except for the music, you could have heard a pin drop. Sarah paused for effect. "Is that good enough?" she teased Jones.

"Or should I keep going?"

x-x-x-x-x

Traffic on the strip was typical for an early evening. That meant near gridlock. No one was moving in any direction. They exited the parking garage and flew up the sidewalk. Tourists scattered in every direction as she sped by. Carina was weaving back and forth between lanes of traffic, often using the sidewalk.

Without anything to brace himself, Casey was being tossed back and forth. He hit the door hard several times. "Damn it," he growled as he struggled to fasten his seat belt. "Is this how you interrogate your drug culture suspects? Put them in a car and bounce them to death?"

"Hang on," Carina grunted as she ran a red light barely missing a city bus.

"We're late."

x-x-x-x-x

Of course the question was rhetorical. Sarah didn't wait for an answer. She allowed her blouse to slide to the floor. She danced up to one of the agents and rested her foot between his knees on his cot. "Can you help me," she asked sweetly as she placed her finger on the end of his nose. "I'm afraid this zipper sticks."

The agent in question was very happy to help. Of course it took some time. First he ran his hand up her leg suggestively until it disappeared far into her skirt. As soon as he had the zipper finally lowered, Sarah danced back to the middle of the room. She shook her hips suggestively until the skirt slid to the floor. "Thanks for the help," she said with a grin.

"Who wants to help me with my bra?"

x-x-x-x-x

The good news was that once Carina finally left the strip, traffic eased considerably. Carina floored the accelerator and the car shot forward.

Casey was the only one who knew exactly where they were going. "You need to take the next right," he yelled.

Carina didn't answer. She just turned the wheel without slowing down and executed a perfect power turn. The tires squawked in protest.

"Can you be a little quieter?" Casey growled. "We are supposed to be sneaking up on them."

"If Sarah is doing her job," Carina replied. "We could sneak up on them with a jack hammer."

"Make that two jack hammers."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah wasn't wearing a watch. There wasn't a clock in the room. Yet she knew from her internal clock that Casey and Carina should have been here ten minutes ago. That wasn't good news. But there was no turning back now. So she just smiled. "It looks like it's time for the good stuff," she said. "Doesn't it?" She danced over to another agent. "Do you think you could help me with this clasp?" she asked. "I never can reach it."

Sarah turned around and sat on his lap. Naturally, this guy wanted to be helpful. Not only did he unclasp it, he helped ease it over her shoulders until he was holding it in his hand.

Of course that wasn't the only thing he was holding in his hand. Sarah only allowed him to grope her for a few seconds before standing up. "Keep the bra as a souvenir," she said. "I don't think I'll be needing it anymore."

Finally, thankfully, that was the moment that Casey burst through the front door with his gun blazing. He clearly wasn't in the mood to ask any questions. The two Fulcrum agents on the opposite side of the room fell instantly dead as Casey quickly fired twice.

At the same time, Carina burst through the back door. She fired one shot, killing the agent sitting next to the front door.

Sarah quickly got into the action. There was one good thing about being almost naked… there was nothing to encumber her. She rammed her elbow into the agent's face whose lap she was sitting on. She picked up the gun sitting next to him where he sat it to be able to grope her. Taking quick aim at one of the other agents, with a single shot, he was quickly dead.

The other three quickly realized that they had little choice and surrendered. Even though the good guys now controlled the room, this was still a tense situation. Certainly, it wasn't time yet to relax. Casey and Carina got to work. They quickly bound their hands and feet with nylon ties while Sarah covered them. They tied Steve Jones to the same chair that Sarah had been previously fastened to.

Carina worked to cut Chuck loose from his chair. Once he was free, Chuck and Sarah quickly threw themselves into each other's arms. They were both franticly kissing each other in relief. "Very nice show," Chuck teased. "Too bad we're already rich. You could win amateur nights all across the country."

That got Sarah grinning. "We could still do it just for fun," she teased. "Even rich people need hobbies. Hold that thought. I need to take care of something. Don't move. I'll be right back."

Chuck smiled back and nodded as Sarah walked over to Steve Jones. She sat on his lap, straddling him much like she had Chuck earlier. "You know, Steve," she said seductively. "I told you that you'd get everything that you had coming tonight. I've kept my word. It occurs to me that this is the second time in a week that you wanting me in bed has led you into making a series of mind numbingly stupid mistakes. When you think about it like that, well, it's almost flattering. I'm really tempted to take you in the bedroom and do everything that you wanted," she continued as she gently kissed Jones's nose. "Just for fun. Too bad, I'm married and my new husband is here. I don't think he would see the humor. No. I'm sorry. Actually, I'm sure that he wouldn't. But don't feel bad," she said with a huge grin. "I'm sure where you're headed there's going to be a whole line of big, muscular, sweaty lifers ready to take my place."

Sarah was clearly enjoying her sport. "But, Steve, please," she said as she stood up off his lap. "Please make sure that you bring your A-Game. They deserve your best effort."

Sarah kept her faux sweet smile as she sauntered over to the agent who had groped her against the car earlier. He was standing against the wall with his hands and feet bound together. Suddenly, with absolutely no warning, she threw a most impressive spinning roundhouse kick that connected directly deep into his groin. Naturally he did what any man would do in that circumstance, he quickly fell to the floor in moaning agony. Sarah wasn't quite done. She stepped up to him, grabbed a handful of hair, and forced him to look at her. "They're hard now," she taunted. "You asked for another look. I hope you're happy."

But everyone's attention was quickly on Chuck. He had picked up one of the agents guns and had it pointed at Steve Jones head. "What kind of 'man' are you?" he asked.

"Chuck," Sarah called. "No."

Chuck ignored her. "What kind of man forces a woman to strip and have sex to save her husband's life?" he asked. "I think that might be the most evil thing I've ever heard of."

"Chuck," Sarah called more loudly. "Don't do this. It's not worth it."

Chuck didn't look at Sarah. "I've got this," he said. "This animal has it coming."

"I know that," Sarah replied. "I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about you. You've never done this before. You're not a killer. If you want to see his brains splatter on the wall, let me shoot him for you. Please."

Chuck again ignored her. "She'll never be safe," he said to a shaking Jones. "She'll never be safe as long as you're alive, will she? We'll always have to worry about you breaking out of prison again."

"Chuck," Sarah pleaded. "Please don't do this. Please. It will change you. Trust me, I know. It has changed me."

"Sorry, Sarah," Chuck said. "I have to do this." He touched his gun to the side of Jones's head. "Bang," he yelled.

Chuck watched as Jones babbled incoherently. "That was kind of fun," he said.

Sarah walked over and sided into him affectionately. "That was a very dangerous game you were just playing," she said. "I have to admit, it was funny as hell."

Chuck grinned at her. "Don't worry," he said. "The gun wasn't even loaded." He pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger to show her. The shot rang out loudly. Some plaster fell from the ceiling. Chuck jumped, then sheepishly handed Sarah the gun. "Maybe you should take this."

Sarah was laughing too hard to speak for a moment. She clicked on the safety. "Maybe you're right," she finally said.

This was officially over. Everyone was fairly giddy. "I'm going to call Beckman," Casey said. "We'll need to get a cleanup crew over here." He turned to Chuck. "Unless you want to shoot somebody else," he said with a grin.

Sarah looked up at Chuck and threw her arms around him. "You'll never know how proud I am of you," she said. "I was actually starting to worry that you were freaking out for real."

Chuck grinned at his wife. "Let's just say that I was emotionally in tune with my character," he said.

Sarah grinned back. "Just think," she said. "Your act helped me convince Jones to give us ten minutes. Imagine what I would have had to have done to stall for those ten extra minutes."

Chuck nodded. "I know," he said playfully. "I know that the plan was for you to take some clothes off to distract them. And that worked brilliantly. It really did. Um… I know this might sound like a jealous husband. But do you think you could put your shirt back on before the cleanup crew gets here? They might forget what it is they're supposed to be cleaning up. I think you might be starting to distract Casey. Distractions can get you killed."

Suddenly Sarah realized that she was still standing in her stockings and panties. She could feel the blush rise up her neck. "It wouldn't sound jealous at all," she said as she reached for her blouse. "I was so keyed up, I had totally forgotten." She turned to Carina. "Why didn't you say something?" she asked. "This is usually your position."

Carina was laughing. "Hey," she said. "If I was built like you, I'd walk around like that all the time."

Sarah paused to think. "Wait a minute," she said. "That reminds me. What took you two so long? I was running out of things to take off."

Carina was still laughing. "We've been here for twenty minutes," she said. "Casey just talked me into letting him see how far you would go."

That stopped Casey's laughing in its tracks. "Hey," he said. "You tell her that you're kidding, right now. That's a problem I don't need."

Chuck and Sarah were too busy holding each other to pay much attention anyway. While they were quietly embracing, Carina walked up to Casey. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you," she said.

Casey shook his head. "I'm the one that's sorry," he said. "I was treating you like my girlfriend and not like my partner."

"I'm new at this."

x-x-x-x-x

Beckman had moved quickly. It was almost midnight in Washington, yet her very large cleanup crew was already arriving. Since Casey's car was filled with dead Fulcrum agents, they took the team in a van to the local FBI office for a video conference debriefing.

Beckman was ecstatic. "Don't you people realize that going off the grid means you're supposed to stay low?" she teased.

"Yes, ma'am," Casey replied.

"Anyway, nice work," Beckman continued. "This was a very serious situation that you've resolved. Fulcrum has officially been eliminated on the western half of the country. We have Steve Jones in custody and, trust me; there will be no escape this time."

"Thank you, ma'am," Sarah said.

"We've been thinking," Beckman said. "As much trouble as you seem to stumble into, we've decided to expand your team. We've contacted the DEA and arranged for Agent Miller for be assigned to your team until further notice. Please brief her on the Intersect and its capabilities as soon as possible."

It was probably the best possible news. "Yes, ma'am," Casey said.

"Agent Miller," Beckman addressed Carina.

"Yes, ma'am?" Carina replied.

Beckman took the humor out of her voice. "You have a reputation for being a superior agent," she said sternly. "Unfortunately, you also have a reputation for not following procedure, doing your own thing, and taking foolish chances. That will not be tolerated on this assignment. The President gets personally briefed daily. Make me look bad to him, even once, and your next assignment will be in the Arctic Circle someplace. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, ma'am," Carina answered snappily. "Ma'am, I just want to thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down."

"There is one other matter," Beckman said. "Now that whatever is left of Fulcrum knows you two by name, we'd better give you new cover names that they won't be looking for."

Sarah grinned. "That's no problem for me, ma'am," she said. "Chuck and I were just married. I will be going by Sarah Bartowski."

Beckman nodded. "Nice thinking," she said. "That's an excellent cover."

Sarah didn't want to laugh in front of Beckman, so she bit her lip. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "But actually, it wasn't for the cover. We really did get married."

Beckman looked at them for a long moment. "I guess congratulations are in order," she said. "We'll have to talk later about how this might complicate things. When you get back to Burbank, we'll start looking for an apartment for you to share." She turned her attention to Carina. "Agent Miller, what about you?"

Chuck spoke up. "Well, General," he suggested. "Maybe Casey and Carina could get married too. It would be great for their cover. Two couples blend in much better."

Beckman considered that for a moment. "I don't know," she said skeptically. "Do you really think you can sell yourselves as a couple? That seems pretty unbelievable to me."

Sarah piped in. "I think they could pull it off, ma'am," she said. "As long as we can get Casey to act a little more romantically. We'll work with him."

Beckman considered that for a moment. "I guess that might work," she said. She turned her attention back to Chuck. "Mr. Bartowski, is it still your intention to go back to Stanford? We've arranged for you to be readmitted."

"Thank you, ma'am," Chuck said. "But actually we've decided."

"Stanford will be fine, ma'am," Sarah interrupted. "Thank you, ma'am."

"We'll make the arrangements," Beckman said. "You've certainly earned some time off. Take a few days at your discretion. Contact me when you go back on the grid. And really people. Excellent work."

As soon as the screen went blank Casey turned to Sarah. "As long as we can get Casey to act a little more romantically?" he growled sarcastically.

Sarah probably wasn't the perfect one to mentor him in the art of romance. It didn't come naturally to her either. But Beckman had just given her the assignment. She walked up to him and spoke so that only he could hear. "Like right now, dumb ass," she said. She grabbed Chuck's hand and walked outside.

Casey got the hint. As soon as Chuck and Sarah left the room, he grabbed Carina's hand.

"I'm not good at this you know," he said softly. "I'm going to have a hard time separating the partner from the girlfriend."

Carina simply looked at him.

"I'm sorry for the macho act," Casey said softly. "I guess I'm overly protective. I hope you're willing to be patient."

That got Carina laughing. "Like you expect me to know how to be romantic," she teased. "Whatever you doing right now, it's working. I think you're better at this than you think. Just keep doing it."

Casey joined her laughing. "I'm glad you think so," he said. "This may not qualify as romance."

"But, missy, I do believe that you owe me a wedding night."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah held hands outside the door of their hotel room while they said goodnight to Casey and Carina. They had stopped in the bar for their customary end of a mission toast. Of course, instead of wine, it was a Mai Tai. "When do you think you want to head back?" Casey asked.

Chuck could see that coming. "Tired of Vegas already?" he teased.

Casey shook his head. "No," he replied. "I'm having a good time, but I'm kind of anxious to get back. We do have a job to do. To tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to our new routine."

"We've earned a few days," Sarah protested. "We have to be fresh to fight effectively anyway. The war will still be there when we get back. Chuck is not going to be in any position to travel anytime soon, if you get my meaning."

"Why don't we all sleep in tomorrow and enjoy our respective honeymoons for a few days?" Carina suggested. "Tomorrow night, we'll all go dancing."

"Sounds like fun," Sarah agreed.

"Ugh, dancing again," Casey moaned. Then he spotted Carina looking at him. "I mean oh boy, dancing again. I can't wait."

"Just not too wild, Carina," Sarah said. "We just got on Beckman's good side. Don't make her come down here and bail us out."

Chuck grinned at her. "It's not Carina you should be worrying about," he teased. "I have some modifications to your attire that will make dancing… interesting.

That got them all laughing. As soon as they were alone in their room, Chuck turned to Sarah. "Are you sure about Stanford?" he asked. "I understand."

Sarah was still grinning. "I'm sure," she said. "I absolutely am. I was being silly. If I can't trust you, who can I trust? Besides, I can always scare the crap out of her. I bet I can have her blubbering like a ten year old in five minutes."

"No bet," Chuck agreed.

"I told you not to tell me that you loved me earlier tonight," Sarah teased. "I wouldn't mind hearing it now."

That got Chuck laughing. "I thought you already knew," he said. "But for the record, I love you."

"And I love you right back," Sarah said. "Now for some serious business. You have bet winnings to collect. I expect some serious demands. Please don't disappoint me."

Chuck fumbled with his phone. Suddenly the exact same song from earlier in the Fulcrum safe house was playing. "I'm way ahead of you," he grinned. "I trust that Casey won't interrupt me like he did that poor Steve Jones. You were just getting to the good stuff. I'm not sure what the full 'Sarah Walker' experience is that he was talking about. Maybe you can educate me." He leaned in and kissed her. Taking a cue from their earlier kiss he started very softly… then with a little more passion. Finally they were into it hot and heavy. After a couple of minutes, Chuck stepped back, took a seat on the couch, and grinned at her as she began to sway to the beat.

"Show time."

The End

x-x-x-x-x


End file.
